The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.ATLANTA — If fans thought the Atlanta Braves’ need for starting pitching was already obvious, then Reynaldo López landing on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation on Saturday only magnified that urgency.That doesn’t mean the Braves see things the same way, even with Monday’s trade deadline looming.“We’ve been losing starters since the first day of spring training, and it hasn’t stopped,” manager Walt Weiss said.Speaking to reporters after trading for outfielder Lane Thomas on Saturday night, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said López’s injury won’t make him behave impulsively.“Whether it’s now or whether it’s mid-August, late August, I can promise you, we will have other injuries,” Anthopoulos said when asked if his front office’s trade strategy will change.Injuries, though, seem to be catching up to the Braves.If the playoffs started today, their rotation would feature Chris Sale, Bryce Elder and Martín Pérez, with Grant Holmes on the bubble. Elder looked like a Cy Young candidate alongside Sale early on before falling back to Earth. Pérez continues to defy the odds as an aging soft-tosser, and Holmes has been serviceable.But that group doesn’t stack up well against the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who now boast Tarik Skubal in their intimidating rotation.The Braves’ internal options for a boost are limited. JR Ritchie, who has been optioned four times since his April debut and entered Sunday’s four-inning outing with a 14 percent walk rate, is currently filling in for López. Ritchie’s raw stuff is undeniable, but shuttling him between the majors and Triple-A Gwinnett while demanding strike-zone precision against MLB lineups puts immense pressure on him.AJ Smith-Shawver returned this week after missing over a year of action but is currently with Gwinnett. The end of Spencer Strider’s time on the injured list is still up in the air, with Weiss saying July 17 that “he’s not close to being back here.” Meanwhile, the health of Hurston Waldrep’s elbow is an unknown after he was pulled during his July 19 start in Triple A due to injury.The Braves, though, hope Spencer Schwellenbach will be ready to rejoin the major-league staff in September. He recently threw four bullpen sessions in Florida and was in Atlanta this weekend to throw more in front of the coaching staff.There is little doubt the Braves will add to the team. The question is whether their additions will be merely depth moves or if they will move the needle.“We’re looking to make the team better, right?” Anthopoulos said. “So, you deal with what’s available.“Obviously we’re impacted depth-wise, (with López) right now going to (the) IL, but it doesn’t change what we’ve been looking to do. We’re looking to make the team better, right? So, you deal with what’s available, just like everything else.”