López to begin rehab assignment on Sunday

López allowed three hits and one walk while striking out three and throwing 70 percent of his 50 total pitches for strikes. He did struggle to command his curve, and the velocity on it was down quite a bit, but he located his four-seamer well. His velocity on the fastball was down a bit, but he also threw 78 percent four-seamers in this one, so it doesn’t seem like the veteran was really attacking the lineup like he would in an MLB game. It remains to be seen how many more starts the Braves want him to make in the minors.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss told reporters they still view López as a starter, but he could be an option in relief, depending on their needs down the home stretch. The 32-year-old has been on the shelf with left knee inflammation since late July.

López underwent imaging on his knee, and it showed no structural damage. The right-hander was placed on the IL before Sunday’s game retroactive to July 30, so he could be back as soon as August 15. Don’t be surprised if it’s another day or two — even a bit longer — but it’s encouraging that López has avoided a significant injury.

Lopez was scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday due to the injury and will now be shelved for at least a couple of weeks. JR Ritchie was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move on Sunday.

Martín Pérez, Sunday’s scheduled starter, will face the Nationals in his place. As a result, the Nats have altered their lineup to sit Daylen Lile and Jorbit Vivas in favor of Andres Chapparo and Brady House.

López allowed five hits and one walk in a no-decision. He was in line for the win before Atlanta’s bullpen squandered the lead and this one headed to extras. The right-hander has a serviceable 3.64 ERA this season and lines up to face the hot-hitting Nationals next time out.

López’s velocity was pretty good — he averaged 95.3 mph with his fastball and an especially high 85.9 mph with his slider — but he allowed two homers, seven other hits and three walks. This is two poor outings in a row, so his rotation status might again be in jeopardy, especially with the deadline coming up. The loss leaves him 4-3 with a 3.95 ERA. That seems fine, of course, but he had a 3.74 ERA the first time he was pulled from the rotation in April. As is, he’s slated to face the Orioles on Sunday.

López gave up five hits, walked one and struck out three. He fell to 4-2 with the loss. López has managed to complete five innings in each of his last three starts. While that represents progress for him, he still isn’t working deep enough into games to have significant fantasy upside.

López allowed three hits, walked two and struck out five. A Carson Benge homer accounted for the damage. He’s shown enough since returning to the rotation to reemerge as an option in deeper mixed leagues. His 21 percent strikeout rate and 10 percent walk rate are still quite a bit weaker than his marks from his successful 2024, when he came in at 27 and eight percent, respectively. López will face the Cardinals next.

López was in complete control during this outing. After letting up two hits and one run through the first four batters of the game, he retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced. His fastball was up a tick, sitting just above 95 mph and still stretching to 97 mph in his fifth and final inning of work. His slider had great bite too, forcing six swings-and-misses. He also worked up to 69 pitches, his most in a single outing since April 14th and overall, he looked much sharper than in his return to the rotation last Friday. Next up is a two-start week against the Mets and Cardinals.