(Photo credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images)

Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez will be under the microscope on Saturday when he returns one year after making his most recent big league start to face the visiting Kansas City Royals.

Lopez will have a tough act to follow. Teammate Chris Sale pitched six scoreless innings to help Atlanta win the season opener 6-0 on Friday.

Lopez (0-0, 5.40 in 2025) made only one start in 2025 before being shut down for the season with shoulder issues that required surgery. He will face Kansas City workhorse Michael Wacha (10-13, 3.86 in 2025).

That last start came exactly one year ago on March 28, 2025.

With the Braves already thin in starting pitching, an effective Lopez would be a huge asset. He produced mixed results in five Grapefruit League appearances, posting a 4.15 ERA in just 17 1/3 innings. His velocity was down to 89.2 mph in his final spring outing, but Lopez said he experienced 'mechanical issues' that were addressed afterward.

'I'm without pain and throwing all my pitches,' Lopez said.

Lopez joined the Braves as a free agent in 2024 and was selected as a National League All-Star en route to going 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA.

In 27 career appearances against Kansas City, 15 of them starts, Lopez is 5-5 with a 5.00 ERA. He last faced the Royals on Sept. 28, 2024, and earned no decision, despite allowing only one run and two hits and striking out nine over six innings.

While Lopez has been dealing with health issues, Wacha continues to build his reputation as a productive innings-eater. Wacha made 31 starts last season and pitched 172 2/3 innings, the second-most in his career. He set a standard for dependability by allowing three or fewer earned runs in 23 starts.

'I'm always trying to improve, never trying to be content with where I am,' Wacha said. 'Always trying to improve the repertoire, trying to get those pitches in my repertoire dialed in to where I need them to be.'

Wacha threw 88 pitches over five innings and allowed two runs in his final spring training start. He made five appearances and posted a 6.89 ERA in 15 2/3 innings in exhibition play.

'I thought stuff was coming out good,' Wacha said afterward. 'I mixed in a few too many walks, but overall I liked the way the stuff is coming out. I'm excited about the regular season.'

Wacha has made nine appearances, seven starts, against the Braves, going 1-4 with a 4.42 ERA. He last faced them on April 8, 2023, while playing for the San Diego Padres and earned the win after pitching six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts.

Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro expects the team's lineup to produce more than it did on Friday. The Royals had only five hits -- none for extra bases -- in the opener.

'Obviously didn't go our way,' Quatraro said. 'That wasn't how we would have drawn it up. They pitched well. You knew it was going to be tough to score on Sale. We had some opportunities early that we didn't capitalize on, and they hit the long ball. And that was really the story of the game.'

The Royals took advantage of the new ABS challenge system, however. Catcher Salvador Perez challenged three pitches and all were reversed. Conversely, Atlanta was 0-for-2 on its challenges.

'I thought Sally would be good at it,' Quatraro said. 'Even last year before we were using it for real, he was good with the reviews that we would do on the iPad. Clearly that helped us save some pitches.'

--Field Level Media