When it was revealed that Atlanta Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez was dealing with forearm tightness, fans braced themselves for the worst. Forearm tightness is often a prelude to a more significant, long-term injury for pitchers and that Lopez had to be pulled from a game with the ailment was even less promising. Given the Braves' luck with injuries this year, it is hard to blame anyone for a certain amount of pessimism.
However, the initial updates we got from the team about Lopez's arm were actually quite positive. Scans revealed no structural damage and the consensus was that all Lopez needed was a short rest and that a stint on the injured list was not needed.
Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed on Monday when the Braves placed Lopez on the IL with forearm inflammation and called up Bryce Elder to take his place.
The #Braves today recalled RHP Bryce Elder to Atlanta and placed RHP Reynaldo López on the 15-day injured list, backdated to August 2, with right forearm inflammation.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 5, 2024
Braves News: Atlanta places Reynaldo Lopez on IL with forearm injury
Honestly, it is a little puzzling as to why the Braves waited so long to put Lopez on the injured list in the first place. Even if there was no structural damage, giving him more than a couple extra days off seemed like the wisest course of action. The Braves were able to backdate the start of Lopez's stint a few days, but they will still be without him for at least a couple weeks and that is assuming he doesn't need a minor league rehab stint as well.
In all likelihood, Lopez's soreness simply wasn't going away as quickly as the team hoped and they decided to make the move once they were forced to make a decision. That means they are going to turn to Bryce Elder once again who was nails in his last big league start against the Brewers, but who also sports a 5.67 ERA in nine starts in 2024 which is less confidence inspiring.
Lopez's placement on the 15-day IL at least tells us that Lopez's injury is one that is going to take some time to resolve. Hopefully he didn't suffer some sort of setback while he was trying to ramp back up, but we should get more details from the team either later during the off day or before the game on Tuesday.