The Cubs placed Lopez on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right groin strain, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Lopez had been unavailable to pitch for a stretch recently because of the injury and he was roughed up for four runs in his last appearance Monday. With Lopez out, Porter Hodge has a clearer path to saves in the Cubs' bullpen.
Lopez (2-3) allowed four runs on four hits across an inning of relief to take the loss Monday against the Pirates. He struck out two.
After starter Jameson Taillon cruised through seven innings to stake Chicago to a 3-0 lead, Lopez let things slip away in the eighth. The veteran righty allowed two home runs, including a three-run shot by Bryan Reynolds, to get charged with his first blown save of the season and third loss. Lopez has still been effective overall with a 3.00 ERA across 51 innings this year, but after struggling mightily in 2023, it's fair to wonder if the 31-year-old is due for some regression down the stretch. Lopez's poor outing Monday should also strengthen Porter Hodge's grip on the closer role, at least for now.
Lopez (groin) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn a hold in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Nationals. He allowed one walk and struck out one.
Lopez, who missed eight days due to a groin injury, looked good in his return to the mound. The righty has a stellar 2.34 ERA overall this season and has been even better since making his Chicago debut in late June. Across 23.2 innings with the Cubs, Lopez has turned in a 0.76 ERA and has struck out 26 batters. Porter Hodge earned the save Saturday and is likely first in line to close games moving forward, though Lopez figures to be in the mix as well now that he's healthy.
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Cubs' Jorge Lopez: Could return this weekend
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Lopez (groin) didn't experience any setbacks following his bullpen session Friday, Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Lopez has been dealing with a groin injury, and his last outing came against the Marlins on Aug. 23, when he struck out two batters in one scoreless inning. The 31-year-old reliever could pitch during this weekend's series against the Nationals. In 20 games since joining the Cubs in mid-June, Lopez has recorded two saves and two holds with a 0.79 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 22.2 innings.
Lopez earned the save in Friday's 6-3 win over the Marlins, throwing a perfect ninth inning and striking out two batters.
Lopez was brought on to protect a 6-3 lead and looked great as he recorded his fourth save of the season. He has picked up two of the last three saves for the Cubs, with Porter Hodge collecting the other, and the two figure to be manager Craig Counsell's top high-leverage options down the stretch. The 31-year-old Lopez has been lights out since joining the team in June, pitching to a 0.79 ERA over 22.2 innings.
Lopez earned the save in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, allowing a solo home run and striking out three in the ninth inning.
Primary closer Hector Neris threw 33 pitches in a blown save Friday, so Lopez was summoned to protect a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning Saturday. He allowed a leadoff home run to Addison Barger but responded by striking out the next three batters he faced. On the season, the 31-year-old owns a 2.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 42:18 K:B across 48 innings.
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Cubs' Jorge Lopez: Earns win in relief
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Lopez (2-2) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Wednesday against the Twins. He allowed two hits and struck out two.
After starter Javier Assad covered only four innings, Lopez swooped in for the win against his former team. The righty struggled with the Twins, Orioles and Marlins last season, and he was released by the Mets earlier this year, but he's seemingly found a home in Chicago. In 14 relief appearances for his new team, Lopez has turned in a sparkling 0.54 ERA and he's struck out 14 batters across 16.2 innings.
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Cubs' Jorge Lopez: Continues to pitch well
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Lopez tossed a scoreless inning of relief in Friday's 6-0 loss to the Royals, lowering his ERA to 2.92.
Lopez has turned the page on a poor 2023 campaign in which he recorded a 5.95 ERA for the Orioles, Marlins and Twins. The veteran righty has been much better this year, particularly since joining the Cubs in June. Over 10.2 innings with his new team, Lopez has allowed just one run and struck out seven.
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Cubs' Jorge Lopez: Tosses two scoreless innings Sunday
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Lopez tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two.
Despite getting released by the Mets in unceremonious fashion earlier this season, Lopez had a solid first half, as he finished with a 3.18 ERA across 34 innings. He's been even better since joining the Cubs at the end of June, posting a 1.17 ERA across 7.2 innings. Lopez may be able to seize a higher-leverage role after the All-Star break if he continues to pitch well out of the Chicago bullpen.
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Cubs' Jorge Lopez: Effective in team debut
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Lopez worked around a hit to toss a scoreless inning of relief in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Brewers.
Lopez had his contract selected from Triple-A Iowa before the game, and he proceeded to make his team debut right away. The righty was dumped by the Mets earlier this year, and he struggled to a 5.95 ERA last season with three different teams, but he was an effective reliever as recently as 2022. If Lopez can get back to that form with the Cubs, he could establish a regular role in their bullpen.
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Cubs' Jorge Lopez: Selected to MLB roster
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The Cubs selected Lopez's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
After being released by the Mets in unceremonious fashion, Lopez signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs on June 12. He allowed three runs in one inning during a game in the Arizona Complex League, but he bounced back by throwing 2.2 scoreless frames at Triple-A Iowa. Now that he's back in the majors, the 31-year-old right-hander will presumably work in middle relief. Vinny Nittoli was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
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Cubs' Jorge Lopez: Signs with Cubs
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Lopez signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Wednesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The Mets let go of Lopez last week after he threw his glove into the stands following an ejection in his final appearance with the team and referred to himself in a postgame interview as "the worst teammate in MLB." The 31-year-old reliever will now look to redeem himself in the Cubs organization and will likely get a shot in their big-league bullpen at some point after posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.37 WHIP through 26.1 innings with New York.
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Jorge Lopez: Released by Mets
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The Mets released Lopez on Wednesday.
Lopez cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week and has now officially been cut loose after posting a 3.76 ERA and 19:11 K:BB over 26.1 innings. The reliever threw his glove into the stands following an ejection in his final appearance with the Mets in a May 29 loss to the Dodgers and in a postgame interview referred to himself as "the worst teammate in MLB." Despite the unceremonious ending to his tenure in New York, Lopez should be able to field some interest from other clubs as a free agent.
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Mets' Jorge Lopez: Removed from 40-man
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The Mets designated Lopez for assignment Thursday.
Lopez has been decent on the mound this season with a 3.76 ERA and 1.37 WHIP, but he will be ousted from the Mets after throwing his glove into the stands upon being ejected from Wednesday's contest. Lopez also seemed to publicly criticize the Mets organization during a postgame interview, though he later clarified his statement, calling himself "the worst teammate in MLB." The 31-year-old reliever will likely draw plenty of interest on the waiver wire from other teams in need of bullpen help, and Danny Young will come up from Triple-A Syracuse to fill the open spot in New York's pitching staff.
