Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo López will undergo arthroscopic surgery to determine if there’s any structural damage to his throwing shoulder, according to MLB’s Mark Bowman. López, placed on the injured list on Monday with shoulder inflammation, is expected to miss several months of action.
“[López] threw a side yesterday and it went good, but he went in after the side and wanted to have his shoulder checked,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters on Monday. “There’s obviously some inflammation in there. We’re getting him looked at today. I haven’t heard the results yet.”
López, 31, authored one of the most unexpectedly good seasons in baseball in 2024 after signing with the Braves and converting from relief work to starting. He appeared 26 times (25 of those starts), amassing a 1.99 ERA (208 ERA+) and a 3.52 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Not only did he make his first career All-Star Game, he earned an 11th-place finish in National League Cy Young Award balloting.
López’s prolonged absence will come after he made just one start in 2025: a five-inning effort that saw him surrender three runs on nine hits and two walks against the San Diego Padres. Bryce Elder has since taken over the vacated spot in Atlanta’s starting rotation.
Count López’s misfortune as the latest unwelcomed development for a Braves team that entered Tuesday with an 0-5 record on the young season. The Braves, who will continue their road series with the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, are also currently without ace Spencer Strider, outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., catcher Sean Murphy, infielder Ignacio Alvarez Jr., and reliever Joe Jiménez on account of injury.
Additionally, the Braves saw free-agent signing and outfielder Jurickson Profar receive an 80-game suspension on Monday after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug named Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG).
Even if the Braves can recover from their slow start and crop of injuries, Profar will be ineligible to appear in this year’s postseason as part of his punishment.
