Braves: Reynaldo Lopez’s rehab assignment begins in Gwinnett

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Positive storylines surrounding the Braves have been few and far between, but there are a couple developing on the injury side of things.

Michael Harris has been nothing short of dominant during his rehab assignment in Gwinnett. He’s eligible to come off the IL Wednesday, and I don’t see any reason why he won’t be back in the Braves lineup this week, providing there are no setbacks. Soon after that, Reynaldo Lopez could rejoin the team as well. The first time All-Star will begin his rehab assignment for the Stripers tomorrow and is eligible to come off the IL on August 18th.

Managing Lopez’s workload over the course of 162 games was a concern coming into the season as he embraced a new role as a starting pitcher. He hadn’t thrown over 66.0 innings in a season since 2019, a number he eclipsed in just a couple of months this year. The increase in innings pitched could be why he experienced some tightness in the forearm.

While further tests came back clean, it’s understandable why the Braves opted to give him some extra rest, but time is no longer a luxury this club has anymore. If Atlanta is going to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, they need all hands on deck, but I’ll be interested to see how they utilize Lopez down the stretch if he starts to struggle. Atlanta has some options on the farm in AJ Smith-Shawver and Ian Anderson that could start in a pinch, and the Braves might need another high-leverage reliever if A.J. Minter is sidelined for a while, a role that Lopez has proven comfortable in.

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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire

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