Jacob

Lopez

No word yet on when Lopez might be able to come back and what role he could return to, but it’s nice to see that the left-hander is feeling better and has a chance to return this season. We would not recommend waiting for him in fantasy leagues.

Lopez will be racing the clock to make it back to the Athletics’ pitching mix in some capacity after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow earlier this week. The 27-year-old southpaw was putting together a legitimate breakout season with a strong 4.08 ERA and 113/37 K/BB ratio across 92 2/3 innings (21 appearances, 17 starts) in his Athletics debut. There’s a chance he makes it back in late September, but his season is probably over, which means he can be dropped in shallow mixed leagues.

Lopez has been shut down from throwing indefinitely. There’s a strong possibility that his season is over with only five weeks left in the year, but Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters there’s a chance he’s able to return by the end of the year. The 27-year-old, who will be officially placed on the injured list later this week, was putting together a breakthrough campaign with a solid 4.08 ERA and 113/37 K/BB ratio across 92 2/3 innings (21 appearances, 17 starts) in his Athletics debut. There should be a more definitive update on his long-term outlook once he’s cleared to resume throwing. The major concern here is that flexor strains tend to be a precursor to more significant elbow issues.

Lopez was lit up for nine runs on six hits and six walks over his two-plus innings against the M’s on Sunday and came out of the start complaining of tightness in his forearm. Expect the A’s to take a cautious approach here with their 27-year-old southpaw, so a trip to the injured list wouldn’t be surprising. Fantasy managers should be sure to have a contingency plan in place if relying on Lopez for next week.

Yikes. Lopez also walked six batters in the abbreviated outing while striking out two. Cal Raleigh slugged a pair of two-run homers against him, one in each of the first two innings. The 27-year-old southpaw then returned for the third inning and the first four hitters that he faced all reached before he was mercifully removed — and all inherited runners ultimately scored. Lopez got six whiffs on 65 pitches in the ballgame, posting a CSW of 23 percent. He’ll try to forget that this start ever happened as he brings a 3.88 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 113/37 K/BB ratio (92 2/3 innings) into Saturday’s showdown against the Rangers.

Lopez stranded two runners in the first inning, then gave up an unearned run on an error and a double in the second. Brooks Lee later took him deep for a solo homer in the fourth inning. It would be the first earned run allowed by Lopez in his last five starts. Ryan Jeffers then added a run with a solo shot in the fifth. Lopez would complete a sixth inning, ending his day with eight strikeouts. The 27-year-old left-hander will take an impressive 3.28 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 111/31 K/BB ratio across 90 2/3 innings into a start against the Mariners in Seattle on Sunday.

Lopez has been on an absolute tear on the mound. Tuesday marked his fourth consecutive scoreless outing. He blanked the Rays over seven innings, scattering four hits with no walks while striking out nine batters. The 27-year-old left-hander will look to keep it going when he takes a 3.30 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 103/30 K/BB ratio across 84 2/3 innings into a start against the Twins in Minnesota next Tuesday.

Lopez threw 114 pitches in the outing, and he landed a whopping 82 of them for strikes. On top of that, he generated a strong 18 swings and misses, and he allowed just three hits in the contest; two of those singles. The 27-year-old has not allowed a run in back-to-back starts, and his ERA has dropped to 3.59 in the process. He’s worth streaming consideration — even if he’s due for regression — for Tuesday’s scheduled bout against the Rays.

Lopez wasn’t allowed to go for a win in a 1-0 game, mostly because he walked four and threw 95 pitches to get his 13 outs. He also gave up a 418-foot blast to Cooper Hummel in the fourth, but Daikin Park was able to hold it. It would have been a homer in 25 ballparks, according to Statcast. Lopez lowered his ERA to 4.29 tonight, but he’s not recommended in mixed leagues.

He allowed only four hits, but two of those were homers and he walked three. Lopez had a four-start run last month in which he allowed one earned run in 23 innings, but in four starts since, he’s given up 14 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings, taking his ERA back up to 4.60. He’ll pitch in Houston next.