JR Ritchie quietly becoming Braves’ biggest playoff X-factor after Reynaldo Lopez's setback

Before Monday's matchup against the Cubs, the Atlanta Braves made some key decisions about their upcoming pitching plans. The most obvious move was activating Reynaldo Lopez from the injured list (which didn't exactly go well), but the Braves also called up Owen Murphy from Gwinnett and revealed that they will use AJ Smith-Shawver out of the bullpen. With all of those changes, it is starting to feel like JR Ritchie may find himself with a prime opportunity.

The rationale behind the Braves' moves is pretty straightforward. They needed to see what they had in Lopez after being on the shelf with a knee injury and Bryce Elder getting placed on the IL, and the results on Monday were not overly promising. Smith-Shawver doesn't seem quite ready to start after recovering from Tommy John, so he was going to the bullpen while he worked his way back with Murphy as another backup plan.

Lopez's injury does create a bit of uncertainty as to what the team will do for now, but it all points to one thing. The Braves need another starter to step up in the rotation if they are going to make much noise this season. That is where Ritchie comes in.

While not official, JR Ritchie's return to the Braves feels imminent, and how he does could determine the Braves' playoff fate

The calculus here is very simple. Right now, the Braves have two starters anyone feels good about in the postseason in Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle. MAYBE you could argue that Grant Holmes fits that description, but that may be a bit of a stretch when you consider his issues past the first time through an order.

As a result, the Braves need another starter both for the rest of the regular season as well as for the playoffs. Elder's injury makes his status extremely uncertain, and neither Lopez nor Smith-Shawver have inspired much confidence even before Lopez left Monday's game with shoulder discomfort.

Right now, the plan is to call up Ritchie to start Wednesday's game and see what happens. While his initial stint in the majors was very uneven, Ritchie has been a man on a mission at Triple-A lately while showing significantly improved swing-and-miss stuff and command. There is no guarantee that those improvements stick once he is called back up to the majors, though, and Atlanta's options beyond Ritchie are VERY speculative, at best. It may be risky to push their playoff chips in on a young arm like Ritchie, but it is definitely the Braves' best option right now.

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