The Braves announced on Wednesday that they have signed the right-hander Reynaldo Lopez on the 15-day injured list because of inflammation in his right shoulder. Lopez was pulled from the start last night because of a significant drop in velocity, and manager Brian Snitker said after the game that he was on his way to an MRI. The results of that imaging have not yet been announced, but there are obviously enough concerns to hold Lopez out for the rest of the regular season. In Lopez’s place, Atlanta has brought the right-hander back Daysbel Hernandez from Triple-A Gwinnett.
In addition to the move of Lopez, Atlanta has reshuffled its infield. The Braves selected the contract of the recently acquired infielder Cavan Biggio from Gwinnett and optional co-infielder Luke Williams to Triple-A in his place. To make room for Biggio in the 40-man roster, right-hander Jimmy Herget was designated for assignment.
The loss of Lopez is another blow to the Braves’ injury-plagued squad, which is currently without Spencer Strider (UCL operation), Ronald Acuna Jr. (cruciate ligament tear), Austin Riley (broken hand), Ozzie Albies (broken wrist) and AJ Minter (hip surgery) for the rest of the season. Whit Merrifieldwhom the Braves signed after Albies’ injury, broke his foot last week and is also out.
Atlanta has expanded its lineup with the season signing/acquisition of Jorge Soler, Gio Urshela, Ramon Laureano and now Biggio. They have managed to stay afloat and remain in a tightly contested race with the division rival Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot, but this latest blow will further test the team’s depth and the performance of this ragtag backup. The rotation currently consists of Chris Sales, Max Fried, Charlie Morton and solid rookie Spencer SchwellenbachThe next time Lopez is up, the Braves will likely look to one of the Bryce Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver, Allan Winans, Hurston Forest Rep or Ian Anderson to take his place.
Although almost all of these internal options have either been successful in the MLB in the past (especially Anderson and Elder) or have been promising talents (Waldrep and Smith-Shawver), it is not realistic to expect any of these players to produce the same level of performance as Lopez in even a short period of time.
Lopez’s move from reliever to starter this season surprised the entire industry, but even more remarkable than the move itself is how well it has paid off. The right-hander deserves to make the All-Star team, having posted a brilliant 2.03 ERA this season and striking out 26.3% of his opponents with an 8.1% walk rate. Lopez has allowed more than two earned runs in just three of his 24 starts this season and has not allowed more than four runs in any appearance this season.
For Biggio, Atlanta will be his third team this season. He plays for his longtime Blue Jays and the Dodgers, as well as the minor league Giants. In 74 games and 219 at-bats, he has posted a dismal .197/.316/.306 batting line with a massive 32% strikeout rate. The second-generation major leaguer still gets plenty of walks (11%), but even that’s a step down from the massive 16% he posted at his peak earlier in his career. Biggio’s contact skills and power output have declined over the years, and his 81.9 mph average exit velocity and 16.2% hard hit rate this season are both the worst among all MLB hitters with at least 200 at-bats.
The Braves are hoping for at least some sort of rebound. It’s not realistic to expect Biggio to turn back the clock to 2019, when he hit 16 home runs and took 14 bases in just 100 games as a rookie, but he should at least be able to get on base at a decent rate at the bottom of the revamped lineup.
To get Biggio on the roster, the Braves will part ways with the experienced Herget, who most recently pitched at Gwinnett. The 31-year-old posted a 4.38 ERA in 12 1/3 innings with Atlanta this season and has a 3.30 ERA in 30 minor league innings with the Braves and Angels this year. Herget has been an inconsistent member of the bullpen with the Braves, Angels and Rangers in recent years, but has generally thrived in low-pressure situations. He has a 3.54 ERA in 155 big league innings for his career and has struck out 22.2% of opponents with a 7.4% walk rate.
Herget will be out of options next season and would have been arbitration-eligible this winter. If another club takes him, he can be signed for three more seasons, but he will be ineligible next year and would have to pass waivers before a team could send him to the minor leagues.
