Reynaldo López
Breakdown
Leistung
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24. März 2026
Velocity up after mechanical tweak
Lopez's velocity returned in a bullpen session Tuesday following a mechanical adjustment, Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Analyse
Lopez pointed to mechanical problems as the reason he averaged just 89.2 mph with his four-seamer in his final Grapefruit League start against the Twins. It appears he's fixed the issue and regained some pep on the fastball, though it's unclear just how much harder Lopez was throwing in Tuesday's bullpen session. The righty averaged 95.5 mph with his four-seamer during his last full season in 2024, and it would be a big ask for him to get back to that level after shoulder surgery. Lopez is scheduled to make his season debut Saturday against the Royals, and fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his radar-gun readings in that outing.
23. März 2026
Blames velocity dip on mechanics
Lopez said Monday that he is fine physically and mechanical issues are to blame for his diminished velocity during Sunday's Grapefruit League outing versus the Twins, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Analyse
Lopez averaged just 89.2 mph with his four-seamer in the start, yielding four runs on five hits and two walks over 4.2 frames. The right-hander's velocity has been down all spring, though not to the level it was Sunday. Lopez could see an uptick in velocity after the regular-season adrenaline kicks in, but it's also possible this is the new normal for him as he comes back from shoulder surgery. The 32-year-old is scheduled to make his season debut Saturday against the Royals and should probably be left on fantasy benches for the time being.
18. März 2026
Continues to build up
Lopez gave up three runs on five hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, He struck out six.
Analyse
While the right-hander's final line wasn't pretty, Lopez got stretched out to 73 pitches (48 strikes) and remains on track for a spot in the Opening Day rotation. He isn't yet showing the velocity he carried prior to last year's shoulder injury, however -- Lopez topped out at 94.3 mph with his four-seamer Tuesday and had trouble reaching 90 mph consistently in his final inning of work, after he averaged 95.5 mph with the pitch in 2024. With Atlanta already down Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Hurston Waldrep (elbow) and other starting options, the team needs Lopez to be both healthy and effective in 2026, so his 2.84 ERA and 14:6 K:BB over 12.2 spring innings is at least encouraging.