Reynaldo López exits start vs. Mets with right forearm injury

NEW YORK — Reynaldo López might become the latest Braves star to land on the injured list.

In the midst of a 9-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field on Sunday, López was removed from his start with right forearm tightness. The Braves labeled the exit as precautionary and said the All-Star hurler is day-to-day.

There weren’t any apparent signs of discomfort as López threw 57 pitches over three scoreless innings. His final fastball was clocked at 97.4 mph, his fastest pitch of the day.

Matt Olson gave the Braves an early lead with a three-run homer in the fourth. Austin Riley and Orlando Arcia homered off freshly acquired Ryne Stanek as he made his Mets debut in the seventh. Ramón Laureano added a two-run shot in the eighth. But the longball barrage didn’t erase the concern about López.

López leads qualified Major League starters with a 2.06 ERA. He has made a successful conversion from reliever to starter this year, but there was always some concern about him serving as a starter over an entire season for the first time since 2019.

Lopez didn’t complete more than 66 innings in any of the past four seasons. He has totaled 104 2/3 innings this year.

The Braves lost top Cy Young Award candidate Spencer Strider to a season-ending elbow injury one week into the season. Max Fried might be less than a week from being activated from the injured list. But this injury-depleted rotation might now be without López for at least a short period.