The positive news for the Braves and fantasy managers is that López could potentially return later this season after the cleanup procedure didn’t reveal any structural damage that needed to be addressed. The -year-old righty will be shut down completely from throwing until he’s re-evaluated in July, so he likely wouldn’t make it back to Atlanta until sometime in August or September, even in a best-case scenario. It’s an encouraging development from a long-term standpoint for fantasy managers in dynasty formats.

The procedure will determine the extent of the damage in the right-hander’s pitching shoulder and will hopefully determine how long he’ll be shelved for. He has already been moved to the 60-day injured list so the earliest that he would be eligible to return, even in a best case scenario, would be the end of May.

This was nothing more than a procedural move to free up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster for Jason Delay who was acquired from the Pirates on Thursday afternoon. López is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, which will help to determine whether or not he’s dealing with any structural damage. The earliest that he’ll be able to return would be late May, but it would be extremely surprising if he was ready to go when he’s first eligible.

Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters he’s hoping López will be able to pitch again this season. However, the severity of his shoulder issue won’t be known until he undergoes a surgical procedure next week to determine whether he’s dealing with any structural damage. The 31-year-old righty is likely to miss at least a couple months, even in a best-case scenario, and there’s a strong possibility his season is over. He can be safely dropped in shallow re-draft formats.