A month after an infamous sequence of events, former Mets reliever Jorge Lopez reflected on his untimely exit from New York.
Lopez, who was called up by the Cubs on Friday after signing a minor league deal earlier this month, opened up about his glove-throwing antics at Citi Field in May.
“It’s something I’m never going to do again, in my life,” Lopez told reporters before a game against the Brewers. “It’s emotions.”
Lopez also discussed his own mental health journey, referencing improvement in his reactions.
“I’ve been working on my mental health for a long time,” Lopez said. “That’s my priority, to not show that anymore and give the best energy and best body language I can to the game.”
The reliever was designated for assignment by the Mets on May 29 after being ejected from a game against the Dodgers, then hurling his glove above the Citi Field netting and into the stands.
Lopez’s on-field actions were concerning enough, but he followed it up by undermining the team during his postgame comments.
Lopez seemed to refer to the Mets as either the “worst team probably in the whole f–king MLB” or “worst teammate probably in the whole f–king MLB.”
After video of Lopez’s interview went viral, the reliever turned to Instagram to relay that his message had been misconstrued.
“I also want to clarify my post-game remarks, because I had no intention of disparaging the New York Mets Organization,” the 31-year-old reliever wrote. “During that interview, I spoke candidly about my frustrations with my personal performance and how I felt it made me the worst teammate in the entire league.
“Unfortunately my efforts to address the media in English created some confusion and generated headlines that do not reflect what I was trying to express.”
In 28 games with the Mets this year, Lopez sported a 3.76 ERA, collecting two saves while striking out 19 and walking 11.
With the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, the right-hander had three scoreless outings, striking out one and walking one in 2 ⅔ innings pitched.
Should Lopez appear in a game for Chicago, it would mark the seventh MLB uniform he’s donned in his career — including his fifth since 2022, when he was an All-Star with the Orioles.
