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13 articles
ATL • Pitcher • #40
6 days ago
It was López’s first start back since a five-game suspension for his part in the brawl with the Angels. It didn’t start out very well, as he gave up a run in the first and three more in the second before he settled down. He struggled with his command as seen in three walks and 53-of-96 pitches landing for strikes, but he was able to fan six despite generating only five swings and misses. López has a friendly matchup on paper against the Nationals on Monday.
ATL • Pitcher • #40
13 days ago
The five-game ban, which was reduced from seven originally, goes into effect immediately. The 32-year-old righty won’t be eligible to start again until next week’s series against the Marlins after being involved in a wild on-field brawl with former teammate Jorge Soler where the two traded punches before being separated during the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game in Los Angeles.
Source: Chad Bishop
ATL • Pitcher • #40
18 days ago
López struck out three batters on the night while allowing one base on balls. The only blemish on his evening came on a solo shot off the bat of Jordan Lawlar in the third inning. The Braves provided him with 11 runs of support in the game, so all he had to do was keep the train on the tracks to earn a victory in this one. The 32-year-old hurler got six whiffs on 79 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 23 percent. He’ll bring a pristine 1.64 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and a 6/3 K/BB ratio (11 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Angels in Los Angeles.
ATL • Pitcher • #40
23 days ago
López wasn’t intentionally holding back while averaging just 91.3 mph with his fastball this spring, but there was talk that he figured something out in his most recent bullpen session and that was clearly correct; he came in at 94.4 mph with his fastball tonight, leaving him 1.2 mph shy of his 2025 average. We still wouldn’t really want to count on him staying healthy, but the boost tonight makes him an option in mixed leagues in which he was passed over on draft day. He’ll face the Diamondbacks on Thursday.
ATL • Pitcher • #40
30 days ago
The 32-year-old right-hander also issued a pair of free passes while recording only one strikeout on the afternoon. He kept the Twins off the board through the first three innings until they scratched out a run in the fourth. Things got worse in the fifth as Luke Keaschall slugged a three-run homer that chased López from the game. He got just four whiffs on 80 pitches on the day, posting an uninspiring CSW of 18 percent. He finishes the spring with a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 15/8 K/BB ratio across 17 1/3 innings.
ATL • Pitcher • #40
about 1 month ago
López struck out six and gave up just two hard-hit balls, so he probably deserved better today. Nevertheless, it’s still hard to recommend him with his velocity this far down after shoulder surgery. He averaged 92.6 mph today, a scant improvement over his mark of 92.4 mph from his first three starts. He was at 95.5 mph in his 25 starts for the Braves in 2024.
ATL • Pitcher • #40
about 2 months ago
The 32-year-old hurler racked up three strikeouts on the night while issuing a pair of walks. The lone tally against him came in the opening inning as Josh Bell worked a two out walk then Trevor Larnach and Ryan Jeffers followed with singles to move him around and in. Lopez finished his day with three straight scoreless frames. For the spring, he now holds a 1.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and an 8/4 K/BB ratio over nine innings in his first three starts.
ATL • Pitcher • #40
about 2 months ago
Statcast had López’s fastball down 3.6 mph from last year in today’s outing, which is comparable to where his velocity was before Statcast went out partway through his spring debut last week. López’s breaking balls aren’t down quite so much, but it’s not looking great, with his curveball spin rate today down about eight percent from last year. López is building up after last year’s shoulder surgery, and it’s still really early. However, he’s probably going to need to get back into the mid-90s to be a quality MLB starter. He averaged 92.0 mph today.
ATL • Pitcher • #40
about 2 months ago
He struck out two. Statcast, which crapped out halfway through his outing, had López’s fastball velocity down four mph from last year in the first inning, but he seemed comfortable on the mound. Hopefully, he’ll build up from here.
ATL • Pitcher • #40
2 months ago
López pitched just five innings in 2025 before having shoulder surgery, so it’s nice to see that his velocity is pretty close to his career norms this early into spring training. With Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both undergoing elbow surgery, López now has a clear path to a spot in the starting rotation. Even if he’s not a great bet to remain healthy for the entire season, he’s going late enough in drafts that it’s worth taking a shot on a pitcher who had a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 148/42 K/BB ratio in 2024.
Source: Mark Bowman
ATL • Pitcher • #40
2 months ago
This was to be expected, with Spencer Schwellenbach needing elbow surgery and AJ Smith-Shawver also sidelined after elbow surgery. Despite being limited to just one start last season, we’d much rather gamble on López in fantasy drafts, who posted a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 148/42 K/BB ratio in 2024. Holmes is also coming off a late-season UCL injury that he did not have surgery for in the offseason, so he remains a huge risk in fantasy leagues.
Source: Gabe Burns
ATL • Pitcher • #40
4 months ago
It seems like an odd way to put it. López, who missed almost all of 2025 following shoulder surgery, has a 2.11 ERA in 26 starts and one relief appearance for the Braves, so if the team thinks he can stay healthy in the rotation, he obviously deserves to be there. But it’s quite possible the Braves believe they’d get more out of him as a reliever and are trying to soften the blow. For the moment, the Braves have Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach guaranteed rotation spots if healthy. That would leave two openings for López, Grant Holmes, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder, Osvaldo Bido, Joey Wentz and José Suarez. Of that group, only Waldrep has options remaining.
Source: David O’Brien
ATL • Pitcher • #40
9 months ago
There was some optimism a couple months ago that López might pitch again this season, but that doesn’t appear very likely, especially with Atlanta falling out of playoff contention. The 31-year-old righty has been out since early April recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder.
Source: David O’Brien