Any hopes that spring training for the Atlanta Braves wouldn't involve some sort of injury to key players were dashed almost immediately. Not only was it confirmed that Joe Jimenez is out for the foreseeable future with his chronic knee issue, but Spencer Schwellenbach will also be on the shelf with inflammation from bone spurs in his elbow. Exactly how long Schwellenbach has yet to be determined, but another Braves arm's recovery just got a lot more important.
When the Braves signed Reynaldo Lopez and stated their intent to convert him back to being a starter, there was some understandable skepticism. So far, there have been pros and cons to the move, as while Lopez has pitched well on the mound, he hasn't stayed healthy and has been out since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder.
Now, with Schwellenbach out, Lopez's return just became critical, and it kind of doesn't matter if he comes back as a starter or as a reliever.
Reynaldo Lopez's health should guide the Braves' next steps after Spencer Schwellenbach's injury
In an ideal world, Lopez would be fully healthy and perfectly capable of slotting right back into the rotation. That could make it so the Braves don't have to make a last-minute move for a rotation arm that could involve an overpay. A healthy Lopez as a starter would make turning to internal options for rotation depth a bit less stressful.
If Lopez is healthy and the Braves put him in the bullpen, that puts a capable multi-inning reliever in the relief corps to help cover Jimenez's absence and would likely signal that Grant Holmes is healthy and ready to go back to the rotation himself. In both scenarios, having Lopez in a key role makes handling all of the Braves' other roster nonsense a lot easier.
Now, if Lopez isn't ready for whatever reason, things get sketchy. There are very few free agent options left that a contending baseball team would want in their rotation right now, and the Braves' pitching does have limits and come with questions. Schwellenbach being hurt is going to be a mess either way, but it is a lot easier to cover for if Lopez is healthy and ready to roll.