NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Reynaldo López might not stay within the Braves’ rotation throughout the regular season. But he will begin the year as Atlanta’s fifth starter.

“We’ve got to start somewhere and we’ve got to be really aware of our starter depth,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We talked a long time last night, going over this. It’s about the self-preservation of the season.”

As the Braves continued to stretch López out as a starter over the past few weeks, it became clearer that he was going to beat Bryce Elder in the fifth starter battle. The team certainly didn’t want to put López in the bullpen and then possibly have to stretch him out again at some point this year.

If López can provide value as a starter, the time was now for him to serve in this role. The benefits of him spending some time in the rotation this year could be felt again next year, when the Braves may be looking to replace both 40-year-old Charlie Morton and free-agent-to-be Max Fried.

“It’s all a part of having the rotation depth,” Snitker said. “We used 13 starters last year and normal years we’ve used 11. It’s just a way to keep everybody in play.”

Elder certainly knows how quickly things can change after rotation decisions are made. He served as Triple-A Gwinnett’s Opening Day starter last year and then became one of eight Atlanta players selected to last year’s MLB All-Star Game.

While Elder might not follow the same improbable path this year, he could play a significant part in Atlanta’s success this year.

López and Chris Sale haven’t experienced a full season as a starter since 2019. The Braves haven’t said exactly how they will manage their workloads. But they certainly are hoping both are still available and effective in October.

“We’ll just use common sense as we navigate the whole seven months,” Snitker said.

There’s certainly a chance Elder and top prospect A.J. Smith-Shawver could both end up with a double-digit start total, despite beginning this year in Triple-A. Ian Anderson could be available to make starts after he returns from Tommy John surgery during the regular season’s second half. The Braves will also be keeping an eye on Hurston Waldrep as he develops during his first full professional season.

This organizational starting pitching depth gives the Braves some cushion as they take a chance on López as a starter.

It would have been easy to keep López in the bullpen. He posted a 3.01 ERA while totaling 129 appearances (just one start) over the past two seasons. But the Braves saw his potential as a starter when they gave him a three-year, $30 million deal this winter.

López produced a 4.65 ERA over 65 starts for the White Sox from 2018-19. He wasn’t as effective during the COVID-shortened 2020 season and then started the transition to the bullpen. The 30-year-old hurler believes the aggressive mindset he developed as a reliever should benefit him during this next tenure as a starter.

López passed his final test with the endurance he showed while completing five innings in hot and humid conditions against the Red Sox on Sunday. Each of the four runs he has allowed over 16 2/3 innings this spring have come courtesy of a solo homer.

“Two starts ago, he had said his legs were really heavy,” Snitker said. “That’s part of the conditioning process. He said he felt great yesterday.”

As López adjusts to the starting role, he may see an increase in his fastball velocity. His fastball has sat around 94-96 mph during his past few starts. This is in line with the 95.4 mph average velocity he generated with his fastball as a starter in 2019.

This same pitch averaged 98.2 mph when he worked out of the bullpen last year.

“I’ve had some good outings,” López said through an interpreter. “It feels like my fastball and breaking balls are good. The location of my fastball is good. I feel like I’m ready for the season.”