Lopez (knee) struck out six over five scoreless innings in a rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Gwinnett, scattering two hits and two walks.
Making the third start of his rehab assignment, Lopez performed effectively while spotting 53 of his 93 pitches for strikes. The 32-year-old has been on the shelf since Aug. 2 while nursing left knee inflammation, but he now appears ready to rejoin the big club after turning in a 2.57 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 14 innings during his rehab assignment. Since he's been building up as a starter at Triple-A, Lopez could end up unseating the struggling AJ Smith-Shawver in Atlanta's six-man rotation.