In less than a week’s time, the hope is that Michael Harris II and Reynaldo Lopez will rejoin the Braves.
Harris is eligible to come off the IL on August 14th and is currently destroying AAA pitching. He should be back in the Braves lineup in a couple of days. Lopez is eligible to come off the IL on August 18th, and all signs point to him being ready around that time. The Braves understandably wanted to give him some extra rest after feeling some tightness in his forearm, but it’s go-time now. All hands are needed on deck as Atlanta pushes for the postseason with just a 0.5-game lead over the Mets in the Wild Card standings.
When Lopez returns, the Braves rotation will be at full strength for the first time in quite a while. Hopefully, that holds true for the remainder of the season, but as we’ve seen this year, that may be asking for a bit much. I’m not sure there has been a club in the history of Major League Baseball that has suffered more injuries to critical pieces than the 2024 Atlanta Braves.
Spencer Schwellenbach‘s workload also must be monitored. It may not be what Braves fans want to hear, considering the team could really use him on the mound every five days, but Alex Anthopoulos and company have to prioritize his health. He’s already pitched well over 100 innings this season, the most of his career, and losing him to any sort of significant injury would be the icing on the cake of what’s become a season from hell. I wouldn’t imagine shutting him down is in the cards, but giving him a few extra days of rest between starts feels like a no-brainer, which could create an opportunity for someone like Ian Anderson, who is now fully stretched out in Gwinnett.
Last Friday, Anderson went into the seventh inning for the Stripers, allowing three runs on just four hits. He hasn’t been spectacular in his four starts since returning to Gwinnett, and the Braves surely shouldn’t be relying on him to be a major piece of a team fighting for a playoff spot, but he’s at the point where he is ready to give the team a start whenever he’s needed. Lord knows we’ve definitely seen enough of Bryce Elder this season in those same situations.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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