MILWAUKEE -- Braves manager Brian Snitker delivered a nice surprise on Monday evening when he revealed Reynaldo López's MRI exam showed no structural damage.
¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any plan, unless it keeps bothering him, to shut him down for an extended period,¡± Snitker said.
An extended period could be interpreted multiple ways. So, Snitker didn¡¯t completely rule out the possibility of a stint on the injured list. He just calmed some of the concerns that developed when L¨®pez exited Sunday¡¯s start against the Mets with right forearm tightness.
There¡¯s still seemingly a chance the Braves could choose to place L¨®pez on the injured list, just as a precautionary measure. But the MRI exam performed in Atlanta seemed to erase concerns that the 30-year-old hurler suffered a season-ending injury.
A couple weeks of rest might be beneficial for the veteran hurler, who has thrown 104 2/3 innings during his first full season as a starter since 2019. He didn¡¯t complete more than 66 innings while spending the 2022 and ¡®23 seasons as a reliever.
¡°He¡¯s just on that day to day train,¡± Snitker said. ¡°We¡¯ll see how he does with treatment. But there wasn¡¯t anything big.¡±
L¨®pez leads qualified Major League starters with a 2.06 ERA. The Braves have carefully managed his workload. Nine of his 19 starts have been made with two extra days of rest. Just two were made with regular rest.