Jorge Lopez, officially designated for assignment by the Mets Thursday, insisted on Instagram earlier in the day that he did not say the Mets were the “worst team in MLB” and instead had called himself the “worst teammate in MLB.”
That didn’t stop the team from cutting him loose — they now have seven days to trade or release the right-hander — as the organization was angered not just by his post-game comments, but also by Lopez throwing his glove into the stands as he walked off the field following his ejection in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s loss to the Dodgers.
It was all part of a chaotic night at Citi Field, filled with injuries, poor play and then bad behavior by Lopez, who was one of the few serviceable arms in the Mets’ battered bullpen.
In the wake of Lopez’s banishment, the Mets recalled Danny Young to take his spot in the pen.
Lopez’s saga began with him being ejected by third base umpire Ramon DeJesus, who tossed Lopez for arguing a checked swing call on Freddie Freeman.
As Lopez headed toward the Mets dugout, he fired his glove high in the air and over the protective netting in front of the stands.
Carlos Mendoza called Lopez’s actions “unacceptable.”
“Whenever you go through a stretch like this, you see some emotions from players, but what we saw from Lopez today was unacceptable and we’re gonna address that,’’ Mendoza said. “I understand guys get frustrated at times, but we’re not gonna tolerate that. He’s got to be better.”
Then came Lopez’s postgame comments, when Lopez said he had no second thoughts about throwing his glove into the stands.
“No,” Lopez said. “I don’t regret it.”
There was also confusion about whether he said he was “the worst teammate” or the Mets were “the worst team” in baseball.
Asked to clarify if he meant to say the Mets were “the worst team,” Lopez — a native of Puerto Rico who was speaking English, his second language — said “Yeah, probably. It looked like it.”
Lopez, in an Instagram story, said he was referring to himself and said “teammate” and then blamed the media.
“Thanks media for [making] it worse,” Lopez wrote.
Typically, Lopez has not needed the assistance of a translator during interviews.
Wednesday, after an emotional incident, he probably could have used one.
