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Otto Lopez

Blue Jays Place Santiago Espinal On Injured List

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The Toronto Blue Jays have placed infielder Santiago Espinal on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain, per a team announcement. To fill the roster spot, the Jays have recalled utility-man Otto Lopez from Triple-A.

Espinal has had a breakout year with Toronto, posting a .267/.322/.370 slash line and earning his first All-Star nod. He has particularly hit lefties well; in 113 at bats the righty has produced a strong .301/.375/.451 line, good for an .826 OPS. Additionally, Espinal has filled in admirably for Blue Jays, logging time at second base, third base, and shortstop. Recently, however, Espinal has been platooning with Cavan Biggio at second base.

Lopez, ranked as the Blue Jay’s 17th-best prospect by MLB.com, made his MLB debut in 2021 — tallying a single plate appearance. The 23-year-old has been shuffled on and off the Major League team this season, but has yet to have a plate appearance. In Triple-A, the right-handed Lopez has hit a strong .297/.378/.415 for a .793 OPS, striking out a low 15.6%  of the time and walking at a high 10.5% clip. Lopez has experience at all three outfield spots, second base and shortstop and will likely be used as a late-game substitution by the Blue Jays, who are in the thick of their playoff push.

Blue Jays Place George Springer On 10-Day Injured List

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The Blue Jays have placed outfielder George Springer on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation, with the placement retroactive to August 5.  Utilityman Otto Lopez has been activated from the taxi squad to take Springer’s place on the active roster.

Springer has been dealing with a sore elbow for much of the season, with the injury apparently worsening over the last six weeks.  The Jays have frequently rested Springer or used him as a DH, but since he has played in only two of Toronto’s last seven games, it seems as though a full IL stint was necessary to allow Springer to fully heal.  Over his last 29 games and 130 plate appearances, Springer had a modest .226/.310/.409, so his bad elbow clearly seemed to be impacting his production.

A healthy Springer is critical to the Blue Jays’ chances of reaching the postseason and making a deep run into October, so the outfielder and the team can only hope that this IL trip will finally correct the elbow issue.  Springer’s injury surely influenced the Jays’ decision to acquire Whit Merrifield at the trade deadline, and Merrifield now looks to get the bulk of center field time while Springer is out, with Raimel Tapia and backup Bradley Zimmer providing further depth.

Lopez could also be in the mix, as center field is one of four positions (along with left field, second base, and shortstop) he has played this season at Triple-A Buffalo.  Lopez has also hit .267/.357/.424 over 246 PA with the Bisons.  MLB Pipeline ranks Lopez as the fourth-best prospect in the Jays farm system, impressed by his plus speed and contact-hitting, even if Lopez seems to be lacking in power.  The 23-year-old has appeared in exactly one MLB game in each of the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Blue Jays Add 5 Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Blue Jays announced Friday that they’ve selected the contracts of catchers Riley Adams and Gabriel Moreno, right-hander Ty Tice, outfielder Josh Palacios and infielder Otto Lopez. All five are now protected from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. Toronto’s 40-man roster is now full.

Adams, 23, adds another catching option to a roster already well stocked at that position. He topped out with a solid Double-A showing in 2019 and ostensibly isn’t too far from MLB readiness. The 20-year-old Moreno, on the other hand, hasn’t played above A-ball, although he hit quite well there in ’19.

Tice, 25, logged a 2.34 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in ’19 and racked up better than 11 K/9 but did so while walking nearly six per nine frames. Palacios plays all three outfield spots and is an OBP-over-power option who has seen some time in Double-A. Lopez, 22, hasn’t advanced beyond A-ball. He hit well there in 2019 and has experience at both middle infield spots and both corner outfield positions.

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