The Atlanta Braves’ 2024 All-Star Reynaldo López says his focus is firmly on returning as a starter according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. However, he’s still in the rehab stages, long tossing from 150 feet and hoping to throw live BP before the end of the regular season. Regardless, the message is clear that the rotation is where he belongs.
Of course, it hasn’t exactly gone to script in 2025. López has logged just one start this year after going down with shoulder inflammation before April even arrived. Surgery followed, along with a 12-week shutdown, and since then, it’s been a slow climb back toward health.
Now, had he been able to sneak back into action before season’s end, relief work would’ve been his only path—just like last year when he filled in late as a bullpen piece. But for 2026, he’s aiming higher. And the Braves are going to have a decision on their hands.
A Braves Rotation Suddenly Crowded
The locks are obvious: Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Spencer Schwellenbach should headline the starting five. That leaves just two spots, and a handful of names fighting to fill them.
Joey Wentz and Hurston Waldrep have both emerged as legitimate candidates, while Ian Anderson—though still sidelined—remains a possibility if he finally makes it back. And let’s not forget how quickly prospects can crash the party. AJ Smith-Shawver wasn’t in the conversation until late last year, and the same could be true for a JR Ritchie or Didier Fuentes.
So where does that leave López?
Health Is the Big Question
The problem isn’t talent—it’s durability. Last season, López delivered 135 2/3 innings, his most in five years, but even then, he wound up hitting the IL twice after the All-Star break, both times with shoulder issues. This season, the shoulder flared up again, costing him almost the entire year.
That kind of track record makes it tough for Atlanta to just hand him a rotation spot without proof he can hold up over the grind. And that’s the reality López is facing.
If he had backed up his All-Star campaign with another full year in 2025, the Braves might be penciling him in without hesitation. Instead, he’s heading into an offseason where he’ll need to prove—both in health and in stamina—that the surgery fixed what needed fixing.
For now, López is drawing a line in the sand: no bullpen. The Braves may listen, but with a rotation picture that’s more competitive than ever, he’ll need to show he’s ready to carry a starter’s workload from Opening Day onward.
