CHICAGO -- When Reynaldo López was chased during the third inning of a 7-3 loss to the Cubs on Monday night, there was reason to question whether the Braves would give him any additional starts this year.
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss provided the answer after the game, when he revealed López will be going on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder discomfort.
“He said he's had some good days and bad days throughout the year,” Weiss said. “Sometimes he hasn't felt it at all, and then sometimes he does. So we’ve got to change course here.”
The Braves’ need to add another starting pitcher has been a talking point going back to the offseason. The topic was further discussed when two starters (Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep) were lost during the first week of Spring Training. Spencer Strider’s season-ending elbow injury in June further stirred the discussion through the end of the Trade Deadline.
So with 11 regular-season games remaining, as the Braves attempt to protect their 4 1/2-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East, it seems fitting that there are again concerns about their starting pitching depth.
“Luckily we have options,” Weiss said. “We have guys stretched out. We have some guys we can go to.”
Weiss announced after the game that JR Ritchie will come up from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Wednesday’s series finale against the Cubs. He is somebody who could help account for López’s absence the rest of the season. So, too, is AJ Smith-Shawver, who allowed just two runs over the final five innings of Monday’s loss.
Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, Grant Holmes and Martín Pérez are the only current starters who are expected to factor into the Braves’ postseason plans. But Weiss will need more than four pitchers to get through the season’s final 11 games.
As Smith-Shawver navigated his way through his first few innings, excitement about his potential as a reliever in the playoffs grew. The 23-year-old entered to begin the bottom of the fourth and retired eight of the first nine batters he faced. He had retired seven straight before Carson Kelly singled ahead of Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-out homer in the sixth.
Crow-Armstrong also strengthened his NL MVP resume with a fourth-inning single off Smith-Shawver, who struck out two while allowing four hits. His three walks were all issued within his final two innings.
“AJ did exactly what we needed him to do,” Weiss said. “He covered the rest of the game and did it competitively.”
When Smith-Shawver made his season debut for Atlanta in late July, he was a little more than 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery. As he posted a 7.71 ERA in five starts for Atlanta, it became obvious he wouldn’t be part of Atlanta’s postseason rotation.
So the Braves shifted him to the bullpen this week to get a feel for what he might be able to provide. There’s a chance the young hurler remains in the bullpen to serve as a multi-inning option. But he might now be needed to make at least one start before the end of the season.
“The way some of my starts have been going, I think it's good to just get a little different feel, a little different look at it,” Smith-Shawver said. “I was happy with it. I've done it before, so I'm comfortable with it. At the end of the day, I’m just here to try to put the team in a good position and just try to win games.”
López, who allowed the Cubs five runs and six hits over three innings, hasn’t physically been able to consistently put the Braves in a good position since his arm began bothering him during the final two months of the 2024 season. He made just one start before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in 2025. He has posted a 4.54 ERA over 79 1/3 innings this season.
“It’s not really pain so much,” López said. “It’s just something that doesn’t feel great.”