The Atlanta Braves’ 2025 season couldn’t have started off worse, as the team is now 0-5. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse in recent days, stirring up painful memories from the disastrous 2024 season.
The Braves’ biggest offseason signing, Jurickson Profar, was handed an 80-game suspension after testing positive for PEDs. Profar tested positive for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG), violating the league’s drug prevention and treatment program.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Braves also announced that starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez would be placed on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation. To make matters worse, Atlanta suffered a tough 6-1 loss to the Dodgers, ruining Grant Holmes’ first start of the season.
Things got even worse on Tuesday when it was revealed that Lopez will need arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. The full extent of the damage won’t be known until after the procedure. Braves insider Justin Toscano reported that the hope is Lopez can return at some point this season, but that remains uncertain.
- Reynaldo Lopez
MLB insider Mark Bowman suggested that Lopez could miss at least a couple of months, but again, a definitive timeline won’t be clear until after the surgery. Lopez had been a pleasant surprise for Atlanta in 2024, but this season, his performance has taken a hit. In his first start of the year, his velocity was down, and he gave up three runs on nine hits in five innings, with three walks and one strikeout.
With Lopez out, Bryce Elder is expected to take over his spot in the rotation for Wednesday’s game. And with Spencer Strider still rehabbing, the Braves’ pitching situation has become even more challenging. The rotation now includes Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Holmes, AJSS, and Elder.
This is far from an ideal situation for the Braves, even with Strider expected to return soon. Given Lopez’s extended absence, Alex Anthopoulos may have to make a move in the trade market or explore the remaining free-agent pool to bolster the pitching staff.
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