Braves' Reynaldo Lopez: Gets three years, $30M from Atlanta
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Lopez signed a three-year, $26 million contract with Atlanta on Monday.
The deal contains an $8 million club option or $4 million buyout for the 2027 season, so Lopez will net $30 million over the life of the deal. Atlanta had already re-signed Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez and traded for Aaron Bummer and they've now brought in Lopez to reinforce their bullpen. Lopez made a full-time move to relief in 2022 and has produced a 3.02 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 146:45 K:BB over 131.1 innings covering the last two seasons. Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Lopez will be stretched out during spring training to give Atlanta a rotation option, with the possibility that he could contribute both as a starter and reliever. In all likelihood, Lopez will wind up in the bullpen and step in as one of the top setup options in front of closer Raisel Iglesias.
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Guardians' Reynaldo Lopez: Snags win Saturday
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Lopez (3-7) struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the win Saturday over the Rangers.
Lopez kept the game close in the top of the eighth inning, allowing the Guardians to pull ahead in their half of the frame. This was Lopez's seventh outing with Cleveland, and he's posted 6.2 scoreless innings with a 6:3 K:BB while adding three holds in a setup role. When accounting for his time with the Angels and White Sox earlier in the year, he's pitched to a 3.50 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 77:33 K:BB with six saves and 17 holds over 61.2 innings.
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Guardians' Reynaldo Lopez: Added by Cleveland via waivers
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Lopez was claimed off waivers by the Guardians on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Cleveland scooped up Lopez, Matt Moore and Lucas Giolito from the Angels via waivers, taking on their salaries but not having to give up any players in the process. Lopez has posted a 3.93 ERA and 71:30 K:BB over 55 relief innings for the White Sox and Angels this season. He will give the Guardians a capable setup man ahead of closer Emmanuel Clase.
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Angels' Reynaldo Lopez: Placed on waivers Tuesday
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The Angels placed Lopez on waivers Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Lopez has pitched to a solid 2.31 ERA and 19:6 K:BB in 11.2 innings since being acquired from the White Sox in late July, but the Angels have made him available to other teams prior to the Sept. 1 postseason eligibility deadline. Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore, Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk were also waived Tuesday in an attempted salary dump.
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Angels' Reynaldo Lopez: Notches second save as Angel
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Lopez earned a save over the Rays in the first game of a twin bill Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.
Angels closer Carlos Estevez has struggled of late, though his lack of usage in a save situation in the matinee of the doubleheader was probably due to him throwing 43 pitches over 1.2 frames while taking the loss Friday. Lopez thus assumed closer duties with Los Angeles up a run in the ninth inning, and he worked around a leadoff single to secure the save. It was his second save in nine games since joining the Angels on July 26, and he's given up only two runs while posting a 16:3 K:BB across 9.2 frames during that stretch. There's no indication that Estevez has lost his closing role, but Lopez has pitched well enough since joining the team to take over ninth-inning duties if manager Phil Nevin does eventually decide to go in a different direction.
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Angels' Reynaldo Lopez: Activated from bereavement list
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Lopez was activated Friday from the bereavement list, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Lopez will be available again out of the Angels' bullpen Friday night against the Astros after spending four days away from the team following a death in his family. Zack Weiss was optioned in a corresponding move.
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Angels' Reynaldo Lopez: Moves to bereavement list
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Lopez (personal) was placed on the bereavement list Sunday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Lopez recently had a death in the family, so he'll step away from the team for a few days. Players can be on the bereavement list for 3-to-7 days, so the right-hander should be back with the Angels sometime this week.
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Angels' Reynaldo Lopez: Notches first save since trade
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Lopez earned a save over Atlanta on Monday, walking two batters and striking out three over 1.2 scoreless innings.
Lopez was acquired in a trade with the White Sox last week and tossed 1.1 scoreless frames in his Angels debut Saturday. The right-hander was summoned with one out in the eighth inning Monday and got the remaining five outs for Los Angeles to pick up his fifth save of the campaign and his first since May 5, when he was still with Chicago. Lopez's opportunity to close Monday was a consequence of Carlos Estevez tossing 34 pitches the day before. Estevez is likely to get the majority of the save chances for the Angels moving forward, so fantasy managers hunting saves need not rush to the waiver wire to grab Lopez.
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Angels' Reynaldo Lopez: Heading to Anaheim
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The Angels acquired Lopez and right-hander Lucas Giolito from the White Sox on Wednesday in exchange for catcher Edgar Quero and left-hander Ky Bush, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Lopez has taken a noticeable step back from his 2022 campaign, posting a 4.29 ERA and 1.31 WHIP through 42 innings in Chicago this season. He'll now help shore up the Los Angeles bullpen and likely serve primarily in middle relief due to consistency issues.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Remains inconsistent
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Lopez has a 6.43 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across his last seven appearances while also picking up one win, one hold, one loss and one blown save.
Lopez has made seven appearances since Liam Hendriks (elbow) last took the mound, four of which have been scoreless. He's allowed multiple runs on two other occasions and has particularly struggled with his control by walking four batters across seven frames. Lopez continues to pitch late in games, though most of his appearances in recent weeks have come with the White Sox losing. Between his inconsistent success and usage, a return to regular save chances doesn't seem likely for Lopez in the near future.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: More setup work Saturday
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Lopez allowed one earned run on two hits while striking out one across two-thirds of an inning in Saturday's game against the Astros.
Lopez entered the game in the seventh inning with the task of protecting a one-run lead. He allowed a pair of singles prior to being pulled but was charged with a run after Joe Kelly allowed an inherited runner to score. Lopez has now allowed at least one earned run in four of his last six appearances, during which he's also tallied one save while blowing two opportunities and also taking a loss. Meanwhile, Kendall Graveman has picked up each of the White Sox's last two saves. That combination certainly suggests Lopez isn't currently an option in the mix to serve as the team's closer, and it won't get any better for him once teammate Liam Hendriks returns to the mix.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Serves as setup man
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Lopez struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday against the Royals.
Lopez protected a two-run lead while facing the heart of the Royals' lineup. It's unclear whether he was purposefully used in the highest-leverage situation in the game, or if he has been demoted to a setup role. The latter would certainly be justified, as Lopez has a 7.63 ERA with four blown saves across 16 appearances to start the season. Kendall Graveman picked up the save.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Nails down fourth save
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Lopez walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his fourth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Reds.
The right-hander appears to be fully over the biceps soreness he dealt with earlier in the week, as Lopez pitched for a second straight day and reached 100 mph with six of his 12 pitches. He's struggled as the White Sox closer so far, blowing half of his eight save chances while posting an 8.16 ERA and 1.60 WHIP despite a 32.8 percent strikeout rate. With Liam Hendriks (illness) having begun a rehab assignment, Lopez could be back in a setup role before the end of the month.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Blows fourth save
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Lopez (biceps) blew the save Thursday against the Twins. He allowed one run on one hit while striking out one over one inning.
Lopez had been dealing with bicep fatigue since exiting Sunday's outing due to the issue but was cleared for action Thursday and ended up toeing the rubber in the eighth inning. Though Lopez allowed just one hit in his only frame of work, it was a costly one, as Byron Buxton clubbed a solo home run to equalize the score 2-2. The 29-year-old righty is off to a poor start to 2023, holding an 8.78 ERA to pair with an 0-2 record while converting on just three of seven save attempts. The only saving grace for Lopez has been his strikeout ability, fanning 20 in 13.1 innings. With Liam Hendriks (illness) on the 15-day injured list, Lopez could still see some opportunities moving forward, though Keynan Middleton or Kendall Graveman could push him for temporary closing duties given Lopez's struggles.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Hopes to pitch Thursday
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Lopez (biceps) is feeling better and hopes to be available Thursday against the Twins, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Lopez hasn't pitched since exiting an appearance Sunday with right biceps fatigue, but he's on the mend. The reliever is just 3-for-6 in save chances and has blown each of his last two with an overall 8.76 ERA this year. Even if Lopez is available Thursday, the White Sox might look in another direction if a save opportunity presents itself.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Avoiding IL
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Testing on Lopez's right biceps came back negative and he's expected to avoid an injured-list stint for the time being, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Lopez had to exit an appearance Sunday versus the Rays due to biceps fatigue, but it sounds like he's avoided anything serious. He will be shut down for a couple days but could conceivably be available to pitch later this week.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Dealing with bicep issue
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Lopez was removed from Sunday's appearance against the Rays due to fatigue in his bicep, Vinnie Duber of AllCHGO.com reports.
Lopez tossed 3.1 scoreless innings over his last three appearances but struggled during Sunday's outing, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk while failing to strike out a batter in one-third of an inning. It's unclear whether his bicep issue will force him to miss additional time, but he'll at least be able to recover Monday before the White Sox begin a three-game series against Minnesota.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Ugly blown save against Tampa Bay
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Lopez (0-2) blew the save and took the loss Friday against the Rays, giving up a game-winning home run to Brandon Lowe. However, White Sox manager Pedro Grifol after the game said he still has confidence in Lopez, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
It was an ugly outing for Lopez as he gave up two home runs and three hits without recording an out in a 7-6 loss. While the right-hander has the confidence of his manager for now, he may not have a firm grip on the closer job. He entered the game with a 6.23 ERA, and it ballooned to 9.35 after his second blow save in five chances. However, he does have a 15:5 K:BB in 8.2 innings.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Notches third save
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Lopez struck out three batters in 1.1 perfect innings to record his third save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Phillies during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
The right-hander wrapped up a combined one-hit shutout for the White Sox, topping out at 99.8 mph with his fastball on his final pitch as he struck out Trea Turner. Lopez stumbled out of the gate this season, but he appears to be finding his footing, fanning multiple batters in five of his last six appearances. With Liam Hendriks (illness) still lacking a target date for his return, Lopez will continue to hold down the fort in the ninth inning for Chicago.
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White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez: Handed first loss
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Lopez (0-1) allowed two earned runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Friday against the Orioles.
Lopez entered the game in the seventh inning with one out and runners on first and second. He retired the first batter he faced without incident but then gave up a hit, walk and double in succession to turn a three-run lead into a one-run deficit. Lopez is the only White Sox pitcher to have recorded a save this season, but he's now allowed at least one earned run in four of his seven appearances. That could lead manager Pedro Grifol to rethink his usage of Lopez.
