The Atlanta Braves waited an entire day to announce an update on starter Reynaldo Lopez. Initially, fans expected an update a few hours after he exited his start in New York. However, the team said they would wait until Monday to do so which provided fans with anxiety over the last 24 hours.
Luckily for the Braves, Lopez seemed to avoid the worst-case scenario and will not be placed on the injured list due to his forearm strain. He is listed as day-to-day and manager Brian Snitker stated that he doesn't believe Reynaldo will miss his next start as most of the soreness has improved already.
Reynaldo López’s MRI was clean. He’s day to day. The Braves haven’t even put him on the IL. Brian Snitker said he doesn’t believe the Braves would even shut him down.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) July 29, 2024
Braves News: Reynaldo Lopez avoids serious injury as team announces encouraging yet bewildering update
This is an encouraging update but it also leads credence to a bit of head-scratching. Forearm strains are not injuries to be taken lightly as they can derail a pitcher's season. The Braves run a major risk if they run Lopez out for his next start prematurely and he seriously injures himself.
Fans would drag the organization if they mishandled this injury and Lopez missed the entire season instead of a brief IL stint. It would be extremely negligent of the team to not take this seriously. This also doesn't absolve the Braves from the need to make a trade for a starting pitcher.
Lopez's potential for re-injury is possible and the team cannot afford to miss a chance to add another dependable rotation option. The Braves had to pivot their deadline plans after Lopez exited the game early and that plan should remain. Atlanta is mainly focused on adding an outfield bat to the roster but with how this season has gone, they need to be proactive and assume that one of their pitchers will get injured within the next couple of months.
There has been speculation that the Braves have been in contact with the White Sox about Garrett Crochet who has expressed a desire to agree to a contract extension if he is traded. That fits within Atlanta's method of operation as they've gone that route with their last big trades for Matt Olson and Sean Murphy.
Luis Robert Jr. has also been mentioned as a fit for Atlanta but packaging him and Crochet together is practically impossible with the prospect capital it would require. Alex Anthopoulos has yet to make a move and any speculation we hear is simply that. AA runs a tight ship and we won't hear anything until the organization is ready for us to.
In typical Braves fashion, we have yet to see a move made with the deadline just a day away. Fans will either wake up to a trade or find out the team made an addition two minutes from the deadline. For now, fans will be content with knowing Reynaldo Lopez avoided serious injury. Anything additional would be icing on the cake.