Braves woes continue as All-Star pitcher hits injured list amid playoff push

It's the final round of the Major League Baseball season, but at this point, the Atlanta Braves are like a dazed fighter struggling to get up off the mat.

The Braves were one of the preseason favorites to win a World Series, but they've been hit with an almost unprecedented spree of injuries. 2023 All-Stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley have all been missing in action.

Despite all the misfortune, the Braves have kept themselves afloat. They're tied with the rival New York Mets for the final National League playoff spot, with both teams sporting identical 79-66 records.

With just 17 games left, now is the time for the Braves to hit the gas pedal. But somehow, the injury gods had one last right hook for them ahead of the home stretch.

On Wednesday, the Braves placed All-Star starting pitcher Reynaldo López on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. López left his start Tuesday against the Washington Nationals after just one inning after experiencing a sharp velocity drop.

López has been one of the most vital pieces to the Braves' success all season. He was asked to step into the starting rotation despite spending the last two seasons as a full-time reliever, and he didn't just step up--he shined.

In 24 starts this year, López has an 8-5 record, 2.03 ERA, 137 strikeouts, and became an All-Star for the first time at age 30. If he had enough innings to qualify (128 2/3 falls short of the requisite one inning per game played by the pitcher's team), he would be MLB's ERA leader.

The wear and tear of throwing a starter's full-season workload seems to have taken a toll on López, as the righty also missed three weeks at the beginning of August. First, forearm inflammation was the concern for López, and now, it's the shoulder.

Losing López at this time is far from ideal. But the Braves will have to solider on, and hope that their best righty starter is available for the playoffs. That is, of course, assuming Atlanta can still somehow get there.

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