The Reds announced that right-hander Jose Lopez has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the 40-man roster. Lopez had already been playing at Triple-A Louisville already. The move opens up a spot on Cincinnati’s 40-man, though no corresponding move has been announced.
Once a promising young arm in the Reds’ farm system, Lopez’s stock diminished after a shaky 2018 season that saw him post a 4.47 ERA over 141 Triple-A innings, and those troubles have only increased this season. Lopez had an ungainly 6.98 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 1.62 K/BB rate over 49 frames for Louisville in 2019, experiencing both a sharp increase in his walk rate, and a whopping 13 homers allowed over those 49 innings.
A sixth-round pick for the Reds in the 2014 draft, the 25-year-old Lopez has yet to crack the Major Leagues. He briefly left Cincinnati’s organization this winter when the Giants claimed him off waivers in February, though the Reds re-claimed Lopez back near the end of Spring Training.
Shocking Detroit didn’t take a flyer on him. They need arms it doesnt even matter if he can throw it over the plate!