The left-hander was removed from the 40-man roster last week and is now on the free-agent market. Lopez made one appearance for the Rays this season but has spent most of the year at Triple-A Durham, where he held a 7.89 ERA and 32:19 K:BB over 29.2 frames.
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Rays' Jose Lopez: Dropped from 40-man roster
Rotowire
Lopez was designated for assignment Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Elvin Rodriguez. Lopez had made one appearance for the Rays this season and has struggled at Triple-A Durham, but his gaudy strikeout totals in the minors could draw interest on waivers.
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Rays' Jose Lopez: Sent back to Triple-A
Rotowire
Tampa Bay optioned Lopez to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Lopez will head back to the minors after he made his MLB debut in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Rangers, striking out two while allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk over two innings. The Rays will replace Lopez on the 26-man active roster with a fresh arm in right-hander Ryan Thompson, who was called up from Durham in a corresponding move.
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Rays' Jose Lopez: Contract selected
Rotowire
Lopez's contract was selected by the Rays on Saturday.
The 24-year-old lefty was selected by the Padres in the Rule 5 Draft over the winter but was returned to the Rays when he failed to crack San Diego's roster. He hasn't been particularly impressive for Triple-A Durham, posting a 5.19 ERA in 26 innings of work, but he'll get a look at the big-league level for the Rays nonetheless. Luis Patino was optioned in a corresponding move.
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Rays' Jose Lopez: Returned to Tampa Bay
Rotowire
Lopez was returned to the Rays from the Padres on Sunday.
Lopez was selected by the Padres with the 17th overall pick in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, but he was unable to remain on the team's 40-man roster ahead of the regular season. Now that he's back with Tampa, he'll report to Triple-A Durham to begin the year.
