Atlanta Braves Could Make Interesting Decision with Regards to Starting Rotation

According to Atlanta Braves Insider Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Braves may be prepared to offer right-hander Reynaldo Lopez the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation to begin the season.
There’s little doubt López will wind up in Atlanta’s bullpen at some point, but the Braves hope that with more experience, better game planning, and a better defense behind him, he can be better than he was as a mid-4.00 ERA starter in 2018-19. His potential usefulness as an effective innings eater may cause the Braves to believe it is best to deploy him as a starter at the start of the season rather than trying to build his stamina to transition to a starter’s role later in the season.
016 uLopez, 30, rose to the position of starter, where he remained from his big league debut in 2ntil 2020. In 2021, he made nine starts and 11 relief appearances, followed by 129 relief appearances and one start in 2022-23.

He’s also proven to be an efficient reliever in the last two years, posting a 2.76 ERA in 2022 and a 3.27 in 2023. He has eight years of major league experience, having played for the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Cleveland Guardians.

Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Charlie Morton, and Max Fried figure to be the Braves’ top four starting pitchers.
In addition to Lopez, six other pitchers will compete for the final rotation place.
Last season, the Atlanta Braves won 104 games and the National League East.