Braves' Reynaldo Lopez: Returning Saturday

Lopez (shoulder) will start Saturday's game against the Royals, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

Manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Lopez felt great after his latest bullpen session and is ready to return to Atlanta's rotation when needed, and the 30-year-old righty has now officially been penciled in to start Saturday. He hasn't pitched in a game since exiting his start Sept. 10 after one inning due to shoulder inflammation, but he's been one of the most effective pitchers in all of baseball in 2024 with a 2.03 ERA through 128.2 frames. He isn't expected to be under any sort of restrictions in his first start back.