Reynaldo Lopez might not miss his next scheduled start after all.
The Braves starting pitcher, after working things out with MLB, got his suspension for his role in Tuesday night’s benches-clearing brawl reduced from seven games to five, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
That should keep him in line to pitch Tuesday against the Marlins, USA Today noted.
Lopez was in the middle of the fray in Anaheim last night when he threw a pitch high and inside that Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler — a former Braves teammate — took exception to.
A fight breaks out between Atlanta pitcher Reynaldo López and Los Angeles right fielder Jorge Soler (12) during the fifth inning of the Angels’ 7-2 win over the Braves on April 7, 2026 at Angel Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Soler then charged the mound, throwing punches at Lopez, who threw punches in kind, but with a ball in his right hand, connecting on a blow to Soler’s helmet and face.
“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said through a translator, per MLB.com. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it’s just a shame.”
As things continued to escalate and Soler charged Lopez from the pitcher’s mound to the first base line, several Braves tackled the Angels DH, with Atlanta skipper Walt Weiss among those in the fray.
A fight breaks out between Atlanta pitcher Reynaldo López (40) and Los Angeles right fielder Jorge Soler (12) during the fifth inning of the Angels’ win over the Braves on April 7, 2026 at Angel Stadium. William Navarro-Imagn Images “I love Soler. We were teammates here,” Weiss told reporters. “But that’s a big man, and so I just felt I’ve gotta get him off his feet because he’s gonna hurt somebody. And so that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, yeah, because he was on a warpath.”
Soler was suspended for seven games, though he is appealing. On Wednesday against Atlanta, he homered for the second straight day in an 8-2 Angels loss.
Both players also received undisclosed fines for their roles in the brawl.
Lopez is off to a strong start in 2026 with a 1.15 ERA in three starts.
