At this point, the Atlanta Braves feel snake-bitten as nothing seems to be going right for them. Sure, the team ended a six-game losing streak and thrashed the Mets on Sunday afternoon 9-2 thanks to a four-homer day. But that was overshadowed by an untimely and shocking injury to Reynaldo Lopez.
Lopez was removed from the game early despite tossing three scoreless innings at Citi Field. The team revealed he was removed due to tightness in his right forearm. After leaving the game, the Braves' surprise ace departed New York and headed to Atlanta for an MRI. It was considered precautionary at the time and he was labeled as day-to-day.
Braves News: Atlanta delayed update on Reynaldo Lopez's status until Monday
According to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the team planned on having an update on his status later Sunday evening. However, that didn't happen and instead, fans learned the team wouldn't say anything until Monday.
#Braves now say they won’t have update on López MRI until Monday
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 28, 2024
While it could be nothing, the team choosing to wait to announce an update doesn't feel encouraging. This is especially true because of the type of injury Lopez suffered. Forearm injuries are one of the worst injuries a pitcher could suffer. It doesn't leave fans much comfort that the team wants to wait for an announcement.
It's a shame because Reynaldo has been one of the best parts of the rotation in 2024. He holds a 2.06 ERA through 104.2 innings with 37 walks and 102 strikeouts. Atlanta has wanted to be careful with his workload to ensure he is healthy all season. Unfortunately, you can't always avoid it and the team now finds themselves in a rough spot.
Again, things felt encouraging since the word precaution was mentioned initially but the team choosing to hold off curbs that optimism a good bit. As Fansided's Eric Cole touched on earlier today, this could force Atlanta to pivot their trade deadline plans to now push for a quality starting pitcher. The Braves front office isn't in a favorable position right now.
Max Fried is eligible to return from the IL soon and that would provide some comfort to fans but Chris Sale can't do it all himself. The team has no choice but to make an impact move to replace a top rotation spot if the worst comes to fruition. 2024 continues to be a nightmare for the Atlanta Braves with seemingly no end in sight. Here's to hoping for the best-case scenario.