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PHOENIX – The Nationals cut ties with another struggling veteran reliever, designating Jorge López for assignment prior to tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks and recalling Eduardo Salazar from Triple-A Rochester to take his place in a bullpen that has undergone a significant overhaul since Opening Day.
López was signed over the winter for $3 million to serve as the team’s primary setup man and backup closer when Kyle Finnegan wasn’t available. He had a handful of moments, which in part led to his surprising 6-0 record. But he was plagued by inconsistent performances, which led to an inflated 6.57 ERA and three official blown saves over 26 appearances.
The 32-year-old right-hander immediately comes off the 40-man roster, which now has an open slot. If another team claims him off waivers in the next 72 hours, that team would take on the remainder of his salary. If he clears waivers and is released, the Nats would be responsible for the full $3 million.
“Sometimes, places aren’t the right fit,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And I don’t think this was the right fit for him. And I’d rather, instead of dragging things on, go ahead and do something different.”
López becomes the third veteran reliever signed by the Nationals prior to this season to be dropped before June 1. Lefty Colin Poche, who made $1.4 million when he made the Opening Day roster off a minor league deal, was designated for assignment May 1 and opted to become a free agent four days later. Righty Lucas Sims, who like López was signed for $3 million, was released May 10 after posting a 13.86 ERA in 18 games.
The Nats’ bullpen, which owned a major-league-worst 7.29 ERA prior to Sims’ release, has seen that number plummet to 3.32 in 18 games since, thanks to the emergence of rookies Cole Henry, Brad Lord and Jackson Rutledge, plus the addition of veteran lefty Andrew Chafin.
“It got to the point where we saw what Lord did yesterday (two scoreless innings in a 9-7 win),” Martinez said. “Now’s the time to really focus on giving our young kids a shot to go ahead and do what they’ve been doing.”
The Nationals hoped López would provide a steady, veteran presence in a mostly inexperienced bullpen, but he was scored upon in four of his first eight appearances and was ejected from an April 16 game in Pittsburgh after throwing a pitch behind Andrew McCutchen’s back that prompted both teams’ benches to empty.
His final outing for the Nats (Thursday night in Seattle) included another emotional outburst, this time directed at plate umpire Andy Fletcher after a missed call. Martinez felt the need to go out to the mound to try to settle his pitcher down, but López proceeded to give up two more hits, two stolen bases and a wild pitch before Martinez had to walk back to the mound again to remove him from the game.
“I can’t sit here and lie: I wasn’t happy about that whole situation,” Martinez said. “He needs to focus. He needs to understand that, in situations like that, he needs to get to that next pitch.”
The incident happened to come on the one-year anniversary of another difficult outing for López while pitching for the Mets, after which he tossed his glove into the stands and then spoke critically about the team to reporters after the game. He was designated for assignment the next day, signed with the Cubs and proceeded to deliver a 2.03 ERA in 24 games the rest of the way.
Salazar was part of the Nationals’ Opening Day bullpen but was optioned to Triple-A earlier this month after seeing his ERA balloon to 9.77 following his 17th appearance. The 27-year-old right-hander got back on track in Rochester, producing a 1.74 ERA and two saves in nine games to earn his way back to the majors.
“Just cleared my mind for a bit,” Salazar said of his time in the minors, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “Be aggressive again in the strike zone. And just be the pitcher that I am.”
