Reynaldo López injury: Braves starter hits IL with shoulder inflammation amid heated wild-card race with Mets

López left his start Tuesday after just one inning

By Dayn Perry Sep 11, 2024 at 12:19 pm ET• 1 min read

The Atlanta Braves on Wednesday placed right-handed starter Reynaldo López on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The move comes a day after López exited his start against the Washington Nationals after showing significantly diminished velocity in his one inning of work. 

In a corresponding move, the Braves recalled right-hander Daysbel Hernández from Triple-A. The Braves also on Wednesday added infielder Cavan Biggio to the active roster and optioned infielder Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett.

The 30-year-old López this season has enjoyed a breakout campaign and been a critical part of the Braves' rotation. In 24 starts, he's pitched to a sparkling 2.04 ERA/205 ERA+ with 137 strikeouts and 42 unintentional walks in 128 2/3 innings. For his first-half efforts, López was rewarded with his first-ever All-Star selection. In August, he missed roughly two weeks with forearm inflammation. 

Injuries have been the leading subplot for Atlanta in 2024 and a major reason why they find themselves fighting for a playoff berth in the National League instead of replicating their regular-season dominance of 2023. Ace Spencer Strider and reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. are both out for the season, and two other standouts – third baseman Austin Riley and second baseman Ozzie Albies – are also on the IL with uncertain timetables.