White Sox's Nicky Lopez: Brings versatility to Sox
Rotowire
Lopez was traded from Atlanta to the White Sox on Thursday along with Michael Soroka (forearm), Jared Shuster, Braden Shewmake and Riley Gowens in exchange for Aaron Bummer.
Lopez was dealt for the second time in the last five months as Atlanta looks to clear space on its 40-man roster. After handling a full-time role in 2021 and 2022, Lopez served primarily as a bench bat in 2023 and maintained only a .632 OPS. While he's shown stolen base upside in the past, Lopez managed only six steals across 262 plate appearances last season, though he could see an uptick in playing time with his new club given his ability to play across the infield.
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Braves' Nicky Lopez: Back on bench in Albies' return
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Lopez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rockies.
After three consecutive starts at the keystone, Lopez will shift back to the bench for Monday's series opener. He'll likely find himself in a lightly-used utility role moving forward after Atlanta brought Ozzie Albies (hamstring) back from the 10-day injured list Monday.
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Braves' Nicky Lopez: Heads to bench Wednesday
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Lopez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
Lopez will join fellow left-handed hitter Eddie Rosario on the bench for the series finale while the Mets bring southpaw Jose Quintana to the hill. Vaughn Grissom will cover second base in place of Lopez, who has produced a pair of base hits in both of his last two starts.
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Braves' Nicky Lopez: Hits bench versus lefty
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Lopez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Lopez appears to have taken over as Atlanta's primary second baseman since Ozzie Albies (hamstring) landed on the injured list last week. While starting each of the past six games, Lopez went 5-for-17 with two walks, three RBI, one run and one stolen base. Each of those starts came against right-handed pitching, but the lefty-hitting Lopez will retreat to the bench Monday in favor of Vaughn Grissom while Atlanta opposes southpaw David Peterson.
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Braves' Nicky Lopez: Another start at second base
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Lopez will start at second base and bat ninth Tuesday against the Yankees.
Atlanta will ride the hot hand with Lopez, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's win over New York. Vaughn Grissom should also get some starts at second while Ozzie Albies (hamstring) is on the shelf, though Lopez may be the preferred option versus right-handed pitching.
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Braves' Nicky Lopez: Three hits, steal in win
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Lopez went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a run scored and a steal in Monday's victory over the Yankees.
Lopez has been on a tear since joining Atlanta, going 7-for-10 with eight RBI through his first four games. Overall, he's slashing .241/.342/.329 with one homer, 24 runs scored, 21 RBI and five steals across 200 plate appearnces between Atlanta and Kansas City. While Lopez has mainly played a utlity role with Atlanta so far, he could see an extended run at second base with Ozzie Albies (hamstring) going on the IL.
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Braves' Nicky Lopez: Makes most of Saturday's start
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Lopez went 4-for-6 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and five RBI in a 21-3 rout of the Mets during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Getting the start at shortstop and batting ninth, Lopez not only socked his first homer of the season in the ninth inning off Danny Mendick, he took the mound himself in the bottom of the frame and walked a batter over a scoreless inning of relief. Lopez's only other action so far for Atlanta since being acquired at the trade deadline was an appearance as a pinch runner Tuesday, so despite this impressive effort, at-bats will likely be few and far between down the stretch for the 28-year-old infielder.
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Braves' Nicky Lopez: Dealt to Atlanta
Rotowire
Lopez was traded from Kansas City to Atlanta on Sunday in exchange for Taylor Hearn.
Lopez recorded double-digit steals in the past two seasons, but he's had a slow start to the 2023 campaign, hitting .210 with 18 runs, 13 RBI and four steals over 67 games. The 28-year-old has defensive versatility that makes him a solid utility man, but he'll likely need to contribute more at the plate if he hopes to carve out playing time with a contending Atlanta club.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Picks up steal
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Lopez went 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 8-5 extra-inning win over the Twins.
The steal was Lopez's first since May 29. He's got decent speed, though he's had trouble getting on base lately, as he's hitting just .143 over 10 contests since the All-Star break. Lopez lacks an everyday place in the lineup, instead serving as depth in the infield and left field. He has a poor .210/.322/.280 slash line with four steals, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored, five doubles and three triples through 67 contests, and he's yet to hit a home run this season.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Playing time trending down
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Lopez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Lopez will sit for the fifth time in six games and appears to be the odd man out of the lineup for Kansas City in the wake of Edward Olivares' recent return from the injured list. Considering that Lopez is slashing .194/.237/.250 thus far in July, the Royals likely won't go out of their way to include him in the lineup.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Drives in four
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Lopez went 2-for-5 with a double, four RBI and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Dodgers.
Lopez tied his career-high with four RBI after he had a two-run double in the fourth followed by run scoring single and fielder's choice. Though he's only had 144 plate appearances this year, Lopez currently leads the Royals in on-base percentage (.355) and sports a career-best 14 percent walk rate. He's primarily only in the lineup against righties and is now up to a slash line of .222/.355/.308 with seven extra-base hits, 11 RBI, 14 runs and a 19:26 BB:K.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Out against lefty
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Lopez isn't in the Royals' lineup Saturday against the Dodgers.
With southpaw Julio Urias set to return from his hamstring injury Saturday, the lefty-hitting Lopez will remain in the Royals' dugout to begin the game. Matt Duffy will fill in at second base and bat sixth.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Returns to lineup
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Lopez (hand) is starting at second base and batting ninth Friday against the Dodgers, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Lopez suffered a bruised hand after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday and sat out Thursday's game. Now, he'll return for Friday's series opener with Los Angeles and look to keep things going after posting a .600 OBP across his last four games.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Not in Thursday's lineup
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Lopez (hand) is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Guardians.
Lopez was lifted from Wednesday's contest against Cleveland after being hit in the right hand by a pitch. X-rays came back clean, but it's no surprise he's not in there for this one. Samad Taylor will play second base and Matt Duffy will be at third.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Has bruised right hand
Rotowire
Lopez was removed from Wednesday's game with a right hand contusion.
Lopez had to be removed from Wednesday's contest after taking a pitch to the hand, and he's now officially listed as day-to-day. It's possible the Royals hold Lopez out of the lineup Thursday, though it will likely depend on how the 28-year-old infielder is feeling. Lopez is slashing .128/.277/.179 since the beginning of June.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Pulled after HBP
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Lopez was removed from Wednesday's game against the Guardians after getting hit by a pitch, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
The pitch hit Lopez's hand/wrist, and he was replaced at second base by Samad Taylor between innings. The Royals will take a closer look at Lopez and should provide more details relatively soon, but Lopez should be considered day-to-day for the time being.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Not in Sunday's lineup
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Lopez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Tampa Bay.
Lopez started the past two games and will hit the bench Sunday after going 1-for-6 with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored. Samad Taylor will man the keystone Sunday for Kansas City.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Sits versus lefty
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Lopez is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's contest with the Tigers, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The lefty-hitting Lopez will take a seat against southpaw Matthew Boyd after he went 1-for-7 with a walk and two strikeouts while starting the first two games of the series with Detroit. Matt Duffy will replace him at second base and bat cleanup in the series finale Wednesday.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Draws third straight start
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Lopez will start at third base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Tigers, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Lopez will stick in the lineup for the third straight game after he reached base five times in the final two contests of the Royals' series with the Angels over the weekend. While Mike Massey (hand) is on the injured list, Lopez could get the chance to re-establish himself as a lineup regular for Kansas City, though the newly recalled Samad Taylor will likely challenge Lopez for playing time.
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Royals' Nicky Lopez: Responds with four-hit game
Rotowire
Lopez went 4-for-5 with one run scored and one steal in Monday's 7-0 win over the Cardinals.
Since returning from the injured list, Lopez has operated almost exclusively as a defensive replacement behind Maikel Garcia. Monday's start marked Lopez's first since May 22, and he made the most of his opportunity by notching the second four-hit game of his career. However, the 28-year-old may have to deliver a few more performances like this before he's awarded a full-time role again.
