ATLANTA, GA: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Justin Toscano reports on X that the Braves have recalled right-hander Bryce Elder, who will start today’s game. Reynaldo López, a righty, was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm inflammation, retroactive to August 2, to make room for Elder.
When López last took the mound on July 28, he left after three innings due to discomfort in his right forearm, which the team later disclosed. After being sent for an MRI, which happily turned up no structural damage, the team first hoped the righty could avoid going to the IL.
Since since that outing, he still hasn't thrown a bullpen, according to David O'Brien of The Athletic on X. The club placed him on the shelf since it appears the stiffness and/or inflammation aren't going away as soon as anticipated.It's been almost a week since his last pitch, but IL stints can only be retroactively scheduled for a maximum of three days.
Although the fact that López won't need surgery to end the season is a positive development, the rotation will still face a significant obstacle. With 19 starts under his belt and a 2.06 earned run average, López was enjoying remarkable success after switching to a starting job with Atlanta after spending the previous season as a reliever.
Although his 4.05 SIERA and 3.18 FIP indicate he has been a competent starter this year, his 86.1% strand rate has surely contributed to his ERA decline. Although the team still has Chris Sale, Charlie Morton, Max Fried, and Spencer Schwellenbach, replacing López with Elder or another depth starter will be a step down. Subtracting Lopez, 2.06 ERA, replaced with Elder, 5.67 ERA, is not what the Braves had in mind.
Atlanta was the division favorite going into the season, and they had a great start, but this summer they have faltered. At the end of April, they were 19-9; but, they have since gone 41-42, to stand at 60-51. Though there are three teams within two games and five more within seven, that is still good enough for the top Wild Card spot in the National League. As a result, the team's chances of making the playoffs are now somewhat slim.
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