Royals manager Ned Yost said Monday that Lopez would likely be shut down for the final week of the 2018 season, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.
The report doesn't specify why Lopez will be unavailable, but it's likely just a matter of the Royals not wanting to overwork the right-hander after he suffered a rib contusion when he ran into teammate Hunter Dozier in his Sept. 14 outing. Lopez was able to make his subsequent turn through the rotation Thursday against the Tigers, but was lit up for seven runs on eight hits over one inning before getting pulled. While it appears Lopez's season will end on a sour note, he flashed some potential during his brief run in the Kansas City rotation, highlighted by a perfect-game bid Sept. 8 against the Twins that was broken up in the top of the ninth inning. The 25-year-old should be given every opportunity next spring to claim a full-time starting role with the big club.