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Braves All-Star Pitcher Hits IL For Second Time

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The Atlanta Braves placed All-Star pitcher Reynaldo López on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday morning with right shoulder inflammation, potentially putting his regular season finish in jeopardy. López exited Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals after the first inning. Many were noticing that López’s velocity and spin rate were significantly down in the first inning. Subsequently, manager Brian Snitker and the training staff went out to check on López. However, he remained in the game until the inning was over. Reliever Jesse Chavez came in the second, and the Braves rallied to beat the Nationals 12-0.

Braves Place Reynaldo López on Injured List with Shoulder Inflammation

López will not be eligible to come off the injured list until September 26, when the Braves host the New York Mets in Atlanta. That will be the last game of a crucial three-game series against New York. After the Mets’ victory over the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday afternoon, Atlanta trails the Mets by half a game for the final Wild Card spot in the National League with a 79-66 record. Both teams trail the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.

López has been having a spectacular season for the Braves, posting a 2.03 ERA over 24 starts. This season has been the most innings López has thrown since 2019, at 128 1/3 innings, almost doubling his previous best of 66 innings in the last five seasons. This is López’s second time on the injured list this season. Elbow inflammation in July put him on the 15-day injured list. He was able to come back as soon as he was eligible, so Braves fans will be hoping for the same thing again.

Corresponding Moves

With López hitting the shelf, the Braves have recalled RHP Daysbel Hernández from Triple-A Gwinnett. Hernández appeared in 10 games for Atlanta this season, posting a 2-0 record with a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings. In 33 games in Triple-A this season, he has maintained solid numbers, going 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 33 appearances. Hernández was someone that many thought would make the September roster expansions, as the Braves have been fighting for their postseason lives with the red-hot Mets continuing to be right there with Atlanta.

The Braves also added infielder Cavan Biggio and optioned infielder Luke Williams back to Triple-A. Biggio was recently acquired from the San Francisco Giants for cash on a minor league contract, making Atlanta his fourth stop this year. Biggio would not be eligible to be on the postseason roster, assuming Atlanta makes it in.

 

Photo Credit: © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The post Braves All-Star Pitcher Hits IL For Second Time appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.