NORTH PORT, Fla. -- All eyes will be on Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes as they attempt to prove they can be healthy and productive members of the Braves’ rotation. So, there was certainly some intrigue as both made their respective Grapefruit League season debuts in Atlanta's 8-1 win against the Tigers at CoolToday Park on Tuesday afternoon.
López got things started by allowing one hit over two scoreless innings. The results were encouraging, but the 2024 All-Star hurler was much more satisfied by the fact he got through the outing without any right shoulder discomfort.
This is not something he could say after last year’s Spring Training starts. The discomfort lingered into his regular-season debut and led to him undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery to clean debris from his shoulder.
“I was throwing 95 with pain [last year],” López said. “Now, if I throw 93-94 without pain, that’s good for me.”
How hard was López throwing on Tuesday? Well, before the radar gun malfunctioned in the first inning, Statcast captured six four-seam fastballs at an average of 91 mph. This was his first outing and he was pitching in unseasonably chilly temperatures.
There’s certainly not reason to be concerned with López’s velocity in the first of at least five exhibition season starts. Plus, his fastball sat between 93-94 mph during a live BP session last week. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.5 mph during his strong 2024 season. So, there’s reason to believe his contention that he’s where he needs to be during this early stage of camp.
“He’s ready to go,” Holmes said. “It’s been a while since he pitched. So, knowing him, he’s probably taking it easy these first few weeks, especially today because it was cold. If I was in his shoes, I’d take it easy and not worry about the velocity. I’d just focus on the workload and getting prepared for the season, because we need him.”
With Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both expected to be sidelined into June, there is a greater need for both López and Holmes to enjoy strong rebounds. They are currently slated to fill the rotation’s third and fourth spots, just behind Chris Sale and Spencer Strider.
Holmes was shut down at the end of July because an MRI exam showed a partial tear of both the flexor tendon and ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 29-year-old pitcher now believes the UCL tear may have been pre-existing. His belief was strengthened by the fact he was throwing side sessions again in October and he has been relatively pain-free going back to August.
So, it’s safe to say he’s happy he took the advice of two doctors who told him he might not need surgery. Two other doctors had recommended surgery, which would have required at least one full calendar year of recovery and rehab.
As for Holmes’ exhibition season debut, he pitched around one walk over two scoreless innings. He believes his velocity was similar to what it was during live BPs when he was clocked at 95 mph multiple times. He was also happy to get a few swings and misses against his fastball.
“Being able to come back and avoid the knife is pretty special,” Holmes said. “But we’ve just got to keep it going and keep health the number one priority.”