Injuries are always frustrating to deal with, and the Atlanta Braves have been no strangers to them over the last couple of years. It's part of the game, but injury history can help teams better understand what kind of durability they can expect from additions to their rosters.
Reynaldo Lopez has been one of those pitchers, and it's made his availability tough for the Braves. Lopez was incredible for most of the 2024 season and had arguably the best season of his career. However, there were a couple of injuries during the season that were linked to his injury history.
Reynaldo Lopez's injury history raises concern for his longevity with the Braves
Lopez has landed on the injured list a few too many times, and it all started with a back injury with the White Sox back in 2017. After that, he suffered similar injuries with Chicago during his time there. He strained his back twice (2017, 2022) and dealt with shoulder soreness (2020).
He also suffered a bicep injury a month into the 2023 season with the White Sox. That didn't seem to deter the Braves, who initially were believed to be signing Lopez as a relief pitcher. However, they quickly told everyone he was going to be stretched out into being a starter.
He signed a three-year, $30 million deal and had an All-Star season with the Braves in 2024. Atlanta restructured his contract this offseason, and he will make $8 million in 2025, $14 million in 2026, and $8 million in 2027 (originally a club option).
Lopez ended the 2024 season with a 1.99 ERA over 135.2 innings, including 42 walks and 148 strikeouts. It was an impressive return to starting, but he didn't pitch a lot of innings due to multiple injuries late in the season.
He suffered a forearm injury on August 5th and right shoulder inflammation on September 11th. Those are concerning injuries for a pitcher and can be warning signs of bad things to come. Lopez returned on September 28th for a start and then a bullpen appearance on the 30th.
Lopez was hopeful for another great year in 2025, but he suffered another shoulder injury after just one start. Atlanta announced he had right shoulder inflammation and would need exploratory surgery to determine the severity.
Doctors performed a clean-up procedure, and Lopez is now on the 60-day IL. It's disappointing to see one of their most dependable arms from last season go down with an injury so quickly. That also doesn't provide optimism for the future and any longevity Atlanta is able to expect from him.