Braves News: Fried and Lopez near return, Encouraging Ronald Acuna Jr. update
The 2024 MLB trade deadline has concluded and the Braves didn't do very much outside of adding Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson to the roster. It was a bit of an underwhelming deadline for Atlanta but they have their reasons for the limited moves.
Most of that reasoning was that Atlanta had encouraging news on two of their injured starters. Thus, the team focused mostly on adding an offensive option and nothing more.
Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez inch closer to returning to the mound
Atlanta announced some important updates on both Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez. Fried has been sidelined on the 15-day IL but has thrown a bullpen, which seems to have gone well. However, the team will wait to decide on Fried until after he pitches a second bullpen session on Wednesday.
The team also received promising news on Reynaldo Lopez who had an injury scare during his last start. Lopez was diagnosed with a right forearm strain and listed as day-to-day by the Braves. After undergoing an MRI, the team discovered there was no internal damage and didn't need to place Lopez on the injured list.
Fried will throw a bullpen tomorrow. He and Reynaldo López are candidates to start during this weekend’s series against the Marlins
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 30, 2024
He remains as day-to-day as the team decides when they feel comfortable with letting him pitch again. He and Fried are eligible options to pitch for the team on Saturday according to Brian Snitker. Most likely, it will be Fried pitching on Saturday. It feels like they'll be a bit more cautious with Lopez at the moment and that's a wise decision as rushing him back could cause re-injury. That would be a really bad look for Atlanta.
Ronald Acuna Jr.'s injury rehab seems to be going extremely well
Braves fans haven't really gotten a ton of updates on their superstar outfielder after he successfully had surgery to repair his left knee. However, it seems like the recovery process is going better than expected with a recent update.
Ronald is expected to return as soon as Opening Day next season according to GM Alex Anthopoulos. Acuna's timetable for return had been uncertain and the team was going to take it one step at a time. However, it seems the recovery process has been smooth so far and that is great news for the team.
Bro Ronnie looks so good 🙏👀 pic.twitter.com/GfrYyDsKi1
— Dillion Harper (@og_yungdilly) July 28, 2024
Most fans probably expected they wouldn't see him back on the field until May or June 2025. Fortunately, it seems like it will be sooner than that barring any setbacks and this is the best update Atlanta could have hoped for.
That's all the news for now but there is always something going on in Braves Country so we will keep you updated as that news releases. In the meantime, Atlanta is gearing up for a series win against the Brewers in Milwaukee and the 2024 debut of Jorge Soler in a Braves uniform.
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