The New York Mets made the inevitable official on Thursday by designating reliever Jorge López for assignment. The news comes after López experienced a meltdown during and after Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a corresponding move, New York recalled southpaw Danny Young from Triple-A.
New York Mets Designate Jorge López For Assignment
On-Field Meltdown
López entered the game in the eighth inning tasked to clean up Adam Ottavino‘s mess. However, he only added fuel to the fire. López faced four batters and allowed two runs on two hits, including a two-run shot to Shohei Ohtani.
After the homer, López threw a couple of pitches to the next batter, then abruptly got ejected for arguing with the third base umpire regarding his ruling on a check swing. López continued arguing, then untucked his jersey while walking towards the dugout and threw his glove into the stands.
Carlos Mendoza says that Jorge Lopez’s actions today were not acceptable and that the team will address what happened internally. pic.twitter.com/MSuOZZ34tG
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) May 29, 2024
When talking to the media after the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said López’s actions were unacceptable.
“Whenever you’re going through a stretch like this, you want to see some emotions from players, anybody in here,” Mendoza said. “But what we saw today out of Lopey, that’s not acceptable. And we will address that internally here.”
Post-Game Meltdown
López met with the media following a players-only meeting after the game and initially did not seem remorseful about his actions. However, it quickly became apparent that López, who is not a native English speaker, might not have truly understood the line of questioning or his answers.
Jorge López clarifies yesterday’s post game interview on Instagram.
He says he was calling himself the worst teammate.
(Via: IG/yabiie48) pic.twitter.com/IvmFJ04EfH
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) May 30, 2024
Plus, a tweet from SNY attempted to quote him, but the text clearly did not fully match the words that he said. This only made the meaning behind his words, let alone the entire situation, murkier.
Additionally, many felt that López deserved the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. Some viewed the situation as López expiring real human emotions after a rough stretch on the field coupled with having a young child with serious health issues.
Boomer Esiason expresses remorse for now former Mets relief pitcher Jorge López after learning his son is dealing with a serious health issue and awaiting a transplant. pic.twitter.com/tb2JaPPZrN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 30, 2024
However, quickly after he made his comments, reports revealed that the Mets planned to designate López for assignment. New York clearly decided to stick with their decision even after letting emotions cool down after one night’s sleep.
Danny Young
Adding Young will give the Mets a third lefty in the bullpen. With the team’s top southpaw out for the season, Young will have an opportunity to earn a legitimate role in the Mets bullpen for the rest of the year.
In three major league innings, the 30-year-old has given up zero runs on two hits and three strikeouts. He’s pitched just as well in Triple-A this year, posting a 1.59 ERA with 18 punch outs in 11 1/3 innings.
Main Photo Credits: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
