A Struggling Starter Just Became Atlanta’s Latest Weapon

The Atlanta Braves deployed Reynaldo López in a new role last night, but the starter-turned-bullpen arm excelled over two innings of work.

What the Braves learned from Reynaldo López’s new role | Mady Mertens-Imagn Images

ATLANTA – Reynaldo López’s night lasted only two innings, but it advanced the Atlanta Braves’ newest formula for surviving a battered rotation while putting up wins. As players like Spencer Strider begin to return from injuries and young arms like JR Ritchie continue to emerge, mobility has become a priority. 

Pairing the starter’s mechanical struggles with this new reality pushed López to the bullpen. Wednesday night provided the first glimpse of him in that new role, and he was outstanding for the Braves. López struck out a pair of Tigers over two scoreless innings, holding the deficit at one run in what turned out to be a walk-off win. 

This is precisely what Weisss had in mind when he made this move. 

“He’s in a good place,” Weiss said. “He’s very upbeat, and he’s a pro. We talked about everything the other day. I brought him in and just made sure there’s clarity there. He was great, and he’s ready to go in this role right now.”

In theory, López will be able to work through his progressions without the added stress and scrutiny of needing to make a full start. This is also a place where López is comfortable, having thrown out of the pen for several years before coming to Atlanta in 2024 – he posted a 3.02 ERA across 129 appearances in that role between 2022 and 2023. 

Weiss has made it clear that he still views López as a starter long-term, but having him as a long-reliever in the interim is an embarrassment of riches. 

In a season where little went right for the club during spring training, everything has seemingly broken their way during the regular season. Now, after yet another series win to start the year, the Braves are set to welcome back several new arms to what was a brutally injured rotation. 

Weiss will need to remain flexible and creative in how he orders his bullpen and rotation, but the ability to move players like López or the youngster Didier Fuentes into his reserves has proven essential. Both guys have since made an impact. 

Fuentes has been similarly effective out of the pen this season over a pair of appearances. For him, this experience, while different from that of the more experienced López, is equally valuable. Fuentes can learn the cadence of big-league pitching without the added stress of going several innings. 

The results speak for themselves. In 6.0 innings of work, the young arm has allowed two hits and one earned run, while striking out five and walking two batters. Compare that to Fuentes’ lone start of the season, where he went 3.0 innings, but allowed seven hits and four earned runs. 

Having players with that ability is invaluable for an aggressive manager like Weiss. 

“If you’ve got a guy that can put down two or three innings, and bridge it to the back-end of the bullpen, that’s a luxury,” the manager said Wednesday. “We’ve had a handful of those this year where someone comes in, a starter, and puts down three, even four innings of work for us, and keeps us there, and we win those games.” 

The situation in the bullpen remains fluid, but with these added arms in the mix with a now beleaguered unit, the Braves can continue to build on what has been a near-historic start to their 2026 season. 

For now, the Braves don’t need perfect rotations, just enough adaptable arms to keep games close long enough to win them.