{"id":58225,"date":"2026-04-27T16:22:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:22:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/atlanta-braves-move-pitcher-reynaldo-lopez-to-bullpen-to-fix-mechanics\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T16:22:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:22:39","slug":"atlanta-braves-move-pitcher-reynaldo-lopez-to-bullpen-to-fix-mechanics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/atlanta-braves-move-pitcher-reynaldo-lopez-to-bullpen-to-fix-mechanics\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Braves Move Pitcher Reynaldo Lopez to Bullpen to Fix Mechanics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez has been temporarily shifted to relief duties while he addresses mechanical problems with his pitching form, manager Walt Weiss announced to media on Sunday.<\/p>

The right-handed pitcher started this season in Atlanta’s second spot in the rotation after making only one appearance in 2025 before requiring season-ending shoulder surgery. Lopez posted an impressive 2.18 ERA across his first four outings this year, but struggled significantly in his most recent appearance, surrendering four runs on five hits plus three walks during just one inning in last Tuesday’s 11-4 defeat against Washington.<\/p>

“We see him as a starter,” Weiss explained. “He’s working through some things, delivery wise, that type of thing, and he’s getting right there. And when he’s right, he’s one of our best starters. He was our No. 2 coming out of camp, even with some of the issues at the end of spring training.”<\/p>

“So we see him as a starter long term, but right now, trying to iron some things out. He’s going to help us out of the pen in the short term,” the manager added.<\/p>

The veteran pitcher brings significant experience in both starting and relief roles throughout his major league career. Across 11 seasons and 273 total appearances, including 128 starts, Lopez holds a 48-55 record with a 3.93 ERA.<\/p>

His 2024 campaign with Atlanta marked a career highlight, earning his inaugural All-Star selection and placing 11th in National League Cy Young Award balloting. That season saw him compile a stellar 1.99 ERA with 148 strikeouts against 42 walks across 135 2\/3 innings pitched.<\/p>

Meanwhile, Atlanta has retained 22-year-old right-hander JR Ritchie on the major league roster following his impressive debut performance Thursday against Washington, where he surrendered two runs on five hits while recording seven strikeouts over seven innings. Ritchie is scheduled for his first home appearance Wednesday when the team faces Detroit.<\/p>

The Braves also anticipate the return of right-hander Spencer Strider, who could make his season debut as early as this weekend during the team’s series in Colorado. Strider began the year on the injured list due to an oblique strain.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez has been temporarily shifted from starting rotation to the bullpen while he addresses mechanical issues with his pitching delivery. Manager Walt Weiss emphasized the move is short-term and Lopez remains viewed as a long-term starter for the team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":58224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777321359552.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-f97","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49208,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/mlb-hands-down-7-game-bans-after-angels-braves-fight\/","url_meta":{"origin":58225,"position":0},"title":"MLB Hands Down 7-Game Bans After Angels-Braves Fight","author":"Admin","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Major League Baseball suspended Los Angeles Angels hitter Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo L\u00f3pez for seven games each following a bench-clearing brawl Tuesday night. The fight erupted after L\u00f3pez hit Soler with a pitch, then threw high and inside, prompting Soler to charge the mound.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775680684160.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775680684160.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775680684160.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775680684160.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49251,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/mlb-suspends-angels-soler-7-games-braves-lopez-5-after-on-field-fight\/","url_meta":{"origin":58225,"position":1},"title":"MLB Suspends Angels’ Soler 7 Games, Braves’ Lopez 5 After On-Field Fight","author":"Admin","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Major League Baseball handed down suspensions to Los Angeles Angels slugger Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez following a bench-clearing brawl during Tuesday's game. The fight erupted after Soler charged the mound in response to a high inside pitch.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775686984185.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":48799,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/atlanta-pitcher-angels-slugger-ejected-after-on-field-fight-in-california\/","url_meta":{"origin":58225,"position":2},"title":"Atlanta Pitcher, Angels Slugger Ejected After On-Field Fight in California","author":"Admin","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A baseball game in Anaheim turned violent Tuesday night when Atlanta's Reynaldo Lopez and Los Angeles Angels' Jorge Soler got into a punching match on the field. The incident occurred after Lopez threw a high inside pitch, prompting Soler to rush the pitcher's mound.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775623833792.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775623833792.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775623833792.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775623833792.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48783,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/baseball-brawl-angels-and-braves-players-thrown-out-after-on-field-fight\/","url_meta":{"origin":58225,"position":3},"title":"Baseball Brawl: Angels and Braves Players Thrown Out After On-Field Fight","author":"Admin","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A heated confrontation erupted during Tuesday's Angels-Braves game in Anaheim when Jorge Soler charged the mound after a high inside pitch. Both Soler and pitcher Reynaldo Lopez were ejected following the bench-clearing altercation.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775622131908.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52665,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/angels-jorge-soler-gets-suspension-cut-to-4-games-after-mlb-appeal\/","url_meta":{"origin":58225,"position":4},"title":"Angels’ Jorge Soler Gets Suspension Cut to 4 Games After MLB Appeal","author":"Admin","date":"April 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler successfully appealed his seven-game suspension, getting it reduced to four games following a bench-clearing brawl earlier this month. The 34-year-old player began serving his penalty Wednesday and will miss games through the weekend.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776288152258.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":48831,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/braves-beat-angels-7-2-after-wild-brawl-erupts-on-field-in-anaheim\/","url_meta":{"origin":58225,"position":5},"title":"Braves Beat Angels 7-2 After Wild Brawl Erupts on Field in Anaheim","author":"Admin","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 in a game that featured a dramatic bench-clearing fight in the fifth inning. The brawl started when Jorge Soler charged the mound after taking exception to a high pitch from Reynaldo Lopez.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775633045161.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}