Braves' Reynaldo Lopez: Likely to see varied role
Lopez is likely to be deployed as both a starter and a reliever over the course of the season, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
This isn't a huge surprise, as Lopez hasn't thrown 100 or more innings in a season since 2019, but it does confirm that Atlanta is ready to be flexible with his usage. The 30-year-old right-hander is currently battling Bryce Elder for the fifth starter role to begin the season, and Lopez's velocity was down a bit in a Grapefruit League start Tuesday against the Pirates -- he averaged 94.2 mph with his fastball and topped out at 95.7 mph. Even without his best stuff, he still limited a Pittsburgh lineup that featured most of its Opening Day starters to one run on three hits and three walks over 3.2 innings, as he got stretched out to 58 pitches (34 strikes).
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