The Royals announced Friday that right-hander Jorge Lopez has been designated for assignment. He’d been on the bereavement list, and because he’s out of minor league options, had to either be added back to the 28-man roster or designated for assignment. The Kansas City front office clearly didn’t feel that Lopez was among the team’s 28 best options, so he’ll now await the resolution of his DFA status. The Royals have a week to trade Lopez, release him or run him through outright waivers.
Lopez, 27, ranked among baseball’s 100 best prospects prior to the 2016 season but has never pieced things together at the game’s top level. The former second-rounder went from Milwaukee to K.C. alongside outfielder Brett Phillips in the trade that initially brought Mike Moustakas to the Brewers. Lopez, however, has logged 190 innings in the Majors between the two teams and stumbled to a 5.97 ERA with a pedestrian 157-to-70 K/BB ratio. He’s struggled quite a bit in Triple-A as well, and while the Pacific Coast League is notoriously hitter-friendly, a 6.31 ERA and 11 hits per nine innings pitched still doesn’t reflect well.
Lopez does average 94 mph on his sinker and generate grounders at an above-average rate, but his lack of minor league options might make it tough for another club to claim him.
So, will he be a Marlin or a Cardinal before the end of the day?
Maybe a Met.
Or a Red Sox, Oriole or Tiger.
Could also be another pickup for the Cubs. They desperately need bullpen arms lol
Bye Felicia
About time. He has been awful ever since he joined the Royals.
Funny, he wasn’t much good with the Brewers either, outside of the one AA season that got him on the top 100 lists.
Wildremote, I was just thinking the same exact thing. He’s parlayed that one solid stint in AA into every opportunity he’s since received, despite never again displaying that form.
He also teased us with one of the best games in Royals history taking a perfect game into the 9th against the Twins.
Good. He sucks. Wonder who they will replace him with?
Let’s not kick a man while he’s down. I know Lopez has a young son that is not in good health. Probably the Reason he was on bereavement. I am not implying the boy passed away but perhaps was undergoing treatment. Jorge seems like a standup guy and was always willing to talk to the press after a rough outing which was often. My hope is he stays with the Royals because his stuff is undeniably good. I think his attention has been divided between baseball and the health of his son.
This! May never amount to being a successful major leaguer but respect the man. The story would be much different if he could have finished off that perfect game. Even if he was lackluster overall. KC would have adopted him as their own and he’d be a fun folk hero.
If there was justice, the other teams would let him pass thru waivers given that he seems to have been DFAd due to a technicality
Me conformo muchísimo conque abusó de los pinta perros del Licey.
Jorge has nasty stuff, just can’t seem to make a baseball go where he wants to. Reminds me of another former Royal Jorge de la Rosa who was late in his career when things finally “clicked”. Would not at all be surprised if some day Lopez comes out of nowhere and is a serviceable arm for a few years, but also would not be surprised if we never hear his name again. By all accounts an awesome dude with a lot of personal stuff going on. I flippantly said I was’t sad to see him go before, which is true in a baseball sense, but I hope he does catch on somewhere.
Kayleigh McEnany’s husband. I dint know that.
Nope. She is married to Sean Gilmartin, pitcher for the Rays