Braves exhale as López's MRI shows no structural damage
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MILWAUKEE -- Braves manager Brian Snitker delivered a nice surprise on Monday evening when he revealed Reynaldo López's MRI exam showed no structural damage.
“I don’t think there’s any plan, unless it keeps bothering him, to shut him down for an extended period,” Snitker said.
An extended period could be interpreted multiple ways. So, Snitker didn’t completely rule out the possibility of a stint on the injured list. He just calmed some of the concerns that developed when López exited Sunday’s start against the Mets with right forearm tightness.
There’s still seemingly a chance the Braves could choose to place López on the injured list, just as a precautionary measure. But the MRI exam performed in Atlanta seemed to erase concerns that the 30-year-old hurler suffered a season-ending injury.
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A couple weeks of rest might be beneficial for the veteran hurler, who has thrown 104 2/3 innings during his first full season as a starter since 2019. He didn’t complete more than 66 innings while spending the 2022 and ‘23 seasons as a reliever.
“He’s just on that day to day train,” Snitker said. “We’ll see how he does with treatment. But there wasn’t anything big.”
López leads qualified Major League starters with a 2.06 ERA. The Braves have carefully managed his workload. Nine of his 19 starts have been made with two extra days of rest. Just two were made with regular rest.