The New York Mets are expected to designate reliever Jorge Lopez for assignment following his meltdown on Wednesday night, multiple outlets reported.
The veteran right-hander made disparaging comments about the team after being ejected and throwing his glove into the stands at Citi Field during a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Asked afterward 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 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. “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.”
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.
–Field Level Media