Following the reliever’s rough night on and off the mound, the New York Mets officially designated veteran Jorge Lopez for assignment on Thursday.
The right-hander reportedly made disparaging comments about the team Wednesday night after being ejected and throwing his glove into the stands at Citi Field during a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Asked after the game by an SNY reporter if he regretted his actions, Lopez said no and called the Mets “the worst team in the whole (expletive) MLB.”
Lopez attempted to clarify his comments Thursday on Instagram, insisting that he said “worst teammate.”
“Thanks media for (making) it worse,” he added.
Lopez allowed a two-run homer by Shohei Ohtani with two outs in the eighth inning. After falling behind 3-1 in the count against Freddie Freeman, he was thrown out after arguing a check-swing call with the third base umpire and tossed his mitt into the crowd while departing the field.
The Dodgers swept the three-game series with the Mets, who have lost eight of their past nine and held a players-only team meeting after the game.
“Whatever happened, happened,” Lopez told reporters Wednesday. “I’ll be here tomorrow if they want me. Whatever they want to do. I’m going to keep doing this thing, you know. I’m healthy. … I’m ready to come back tomorrow if they want me to be here. So I’ll be here.”
The Mets now have seven days to trade or release Lopez or send him outright to the minors.
Lopez, 31, has allowed home runs in each of his past three appearances. He is 1-2 with a 3.76 ERA and two saves in 28 games in his first season with the Mets.
An All-Star in 2022, Lopez is 23-42 with a 5.42 ERA and 29 saves in 258 career games (58 starts) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins and Mets.
The Mets recalled left-hander Danny Young from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding transaction Thursday. He is 1-0 in two relief appearances this season with New York, allowing no earned runs on two hits in three innings.
–Field Level Media
