Reynaldo Lopez's Delivery Is Broken and Atlanta's Moving Him to the Bullpen to Fix It

The Atlanta Braves are hitting pause on Reynaldo Lopez as a starter. Manager Walt Weiss announced Sunday that the right-hander is moving to the bullpen "for now" to work through a mechanical flaw in his delivery, a move that came after Lopez imploded in his last outing against Washington, giving up four runs on five hits and three walks in just one inning during an 11-4 loss last Tuesday.

From Ace Potential to the Pen in One Bad Start

Lopez started the season as Atlanta's No. 2 starter coming out of camp, which is wild considering he threw just one start all of 2025 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Coming into that Washington game, he had posted a solid 2.18 ERA over four starts this season. Then that one inning happened, and suddenly the Braves needed to recalibrate.

"We see him as a starter," Weiss told reporters. "He's working through some things, delivery wise, that type of thing, and he's getting right there. And when he's right, he's one of our best starters. He was our No. 2 coming out of camp, even with some of the issues at the end of camp. So we see him as a starter long term, but right now, trying to iron some things out. He's going to help us out of the pen in the short term."

Lopez's Pedigree Says This Is Temporary

This isn't some random depth arm we're talking about. Lopez has 11 seasons of major league experience splitting time between the rotation and bullpen. His career record sits at 48-55 with a 3.93 ERA over 273 appearances (128 starts). The real credential: his 2024 season with the Braves, when he earned his first All-Star selection and finished 11th in NL Cy Young voting with a 1.99 ERA, 148 strikeouts, and 42 walks over 135 2/3 innings. When he's locked in, he's legitimately one of Atlanta's best arms.

The Braves' Rotation Is Shifting

While Lopez works on his mechanics from the pen, 22-year-old right-hander JR Ritchie impressed in his major league debut Thursday against Washington, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out seven over seven innings. He's staying on the roster and gets his first home start Wednesday against Detroit. The Braves are also expecting Spencer Strider to make his season debut as soon as this weekend at Colorado after starting the year on the injured list with a strained oblique.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.