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PHOENIX — The winding path for Jorge López hasn’t been smooth. The potholes littering the way since the Orioles traded the right-handed pitcher to the Minnesota Twins last year have proven treacherous.
But López has found his way back to a place that feels like home. When the Orioles claimed him off waivers Saturday from the Miami Marlins, reuniting their 2022 closer with a 2023 team looking for bullpen support in the final month of the season, López was ecstatic.
Lopez’s mother?
“My mom was more excited than me, for sure,” López said.
That’s because, when López pitched in Baltimore, he felt comfortable. The clubhouse welcomed him and his son, Mikael, a 10-year-old who has battled autoimmune diseases his whole life. They celebrated Mikael’s ninth birthday inside the Fenway Park visiting clubhouse last year, and that support for his family helped López blossom as a player.
López earned his first career All-Star appearance in 2022 for his 19 saves and 1.68 ERA in Baltimore. But he admitted his time since a trade sent him to Minnesota has been a “roller coaster” that involved a stint on the injured list for his mental health and another trade to Miami.
Between the Twins and Marlins, López held a 6.13 ERA this year. Being back in a familiar setting, though, is a relief.
“Good outings, bad outings, but always been strong mentally,” López said. “Every team I’ve been, the pitching staff has been there always, and that’s a good thing for a team [to have] success. Now to come here and see the guys doing a really good job pitching-wise, it gets me really pumped to get into it and do the work out there.”
López said he considers himself a “brand-new guy” here because of the time missed, but it’s an easier transition than it was to other clubs because he knows plenty of players already. On the field Sunday, he hugged shortstop Jorge Mateo. He was already close to left-hander Cionel Pérez in the bullpen last year.
López is treating this in a similar manner as his first arrival from the Kansas City Royals in 2020. He doesn’t know what his role might be — López doesn’t expect to be the closer straight away — but he’s open to anything.
“When you’re not comfortable, maybe it doesn’t lead to the best results,” Pérez said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Like he said himself, if this really felt like home and this was a family, then the results were there last year. Hopefully, he can come back and do that all over again.”
Manager Brandon Hyde said he plans to get López on the mound as soon as possible to ease his adjustment. He acknowledged there’s not much time left in the season for Baltimore’s pitching staff to make adjustments to López’s approach, but he hopes the familiarity contributes to a turnaround to López’s season.
Because López was not added ahead of the Aug. 31 waiver deadline, he’s not eligible to compete in the postseason for Baltimore. For at least this month, though, López could provide the bullpen a boost.
“It’s an opportunity. That’s all we request,” López said. “I’m really glad and grateful to get this job and move to a team where I had success.”
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Notes
- To make room for López on the 28-man roster, the Orioles designated right-hander Austin Voth for assignment. Outfielder Colton Cowser was also optioned to make room for the reinstatement of outfielder Aaron Hicks from the injured list. The 40-man roster currently has 39 players.
- Anthony Santander avoided an injury after he was hit in the hand by a pitch in the ninth inning of Saturday’s win against the Diamondbacks. He joked he has strong bones, and he felt fortunate the ball hit the meat on the base of his hand. He’s back in Baltimore’s lineup Sunday.
- Left-hander John Means will receive another rehab start at Triple-A Norfolk before a decision is made on his return to the major leagues following his Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery last year.
- The Orioles are waiting for the swelling to recede within right-hander Félix Bautista’s elbow before making a decision on his future. Bautista suffered an ulnar collateral ligament injury at the end of August and has had an MRI.
andy.kostka@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Andy Kostka is an Orioles beat writer for The Baltimore Banner. He previously covered the Orioles for The Baltimore Sun. Kostka graduated from the University of Maryland and grew up in Rockville.
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