Alejo López Explained

Alejo López
Team:Atlanta Braves
Position:Infielder
Birth Date:5 May 1996
Birth Place:Mexico City, Mexico
Bats:Switch
Throws:Right
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:June 28
Debutyear:2021
Debutteam:Cincinnati Reds
Statyear:2023 season
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.265
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:1
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:11
Teams:

Jesús Alejo López (born May 5, 1996) is a Mexican professional baseball infielder in the Atlanta Braves organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds.

Amateur career

López attended Greenway High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 27th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.[1]

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds

López made his professional debut that year with the Arizona League Reds, where he slashed a torrid .419/.526/.484. In 2016, López played for the rookie-level Billings Mustangs, posting a .273/.342/.327 slash line with one home run and 29 RBI. He returned to Billings for the 2017 season, and hit .300/.388/.455 with four home runs and 33 RBI.[2] For the 2018 season, López played for the Single-A Dayton Dragons, slashing .321/.375/.406 in 65 games. In 2019, he played for the High-A Daytona Tortugas and batted .287/.353/.347 with two home runs and fifty RBI.[3]

López did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] López began 2021 with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts before being promoted to the Triple-A Louisville Bats after hitting .362 in Chattanooga.[5]

On June 28, 2021, López was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time after hitting .358/.436/.526 with two home runs and 14 RBI in Louisville.[6] López made his Major League debut that day as a pinch hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. López faced relief pitcher Bailey Falter, where he connected on the first pitch he saw for a single. [7] López finished his rookie campaign with a .261/.261/.261 slash across 14 games.

López appeared in 59 games for Cincinnati in 2022. In 145 at-bats, he batted .262/.314/.331 with 1 home run and 10 RBI.

On February 8, 2023, López was designated for assignment by the Reds following the acquisition of Will Benson.[8] On February 14, López cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Louisville.[9] In 108 games for Triple–A Louisville, he batted .282/.390/.404 with 7 home runs, 38 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. On August 29, the Reds selected López's contract, adding him to the major league roster.[10] On August 31, López was once again designated for assignment by the Reds, without appearing in a game for the team.[11] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Louisville on September 2.[12] On September 9, López was selected back to the major league roster as a COVID-19 replacement for Stuart Fairchild.[13] He served as the starting second baseman that day after Noelvi Marte suffered a pregame injury. In the contest against the St. Louis Cardinals, he went 1–for–2 with an RBI before being ejected for arguing a called third strike.[14] The next day, López was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Louisville.[15] On October 2, López elected free agency.[16]

Atlanta Braves

On October 7, 2023, Lopez signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves organization.[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Infielder Lopez chasing baseball dream with Dayton Dragons. Jeff. Gilbert. dayton-daily-news.
  2. Web site: Alejo Lopez Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History. Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. Web site: Zach Dean . After 5 years, Daytona Tortugas infielder Alejo Lopez finally an All-Star - Sports - Daytona Beach News-Journal Online - Daytona Beach, FL . News-journalonline.com . September 1, 2021.
  4. Web site: Jeff Todd . 2020 Minor League Season Canceled . MLB Trade Rumors . June 30, 2020 . September 1, 2021.
  5. Web site: Cincinnati Reds prospect Alejo Lopez dominating minor leagues . Cincinnati.com . September 1, 2021.
  6. Web site: Steve Adams . Reds DFA Scott Heineman, Promote Alejo Lopez . MLB Trade Rumors . June 28, 2021 . September 1, 2021.
  7. Web site: Nick Castellanos hits grand slam in Reds' win . Mlb.com . June 29, 2021 . September 1, 2021.
  8. Web site: Reds' Alejo Lopez: Pushed off 40-man roster. 2023-02-08. cbssports.com. en.
  9. Web site: Reds' Alejo Lopez: Outrighted to Triple-A. 2023-02-14. cbssports.com. en.
  10. Web site: Reds' Alejo Lopez: Selected to MLB roster. September 2, 2023. cbssports.com. August 29, 2023 . en.
  11. News: Reds claim Harrison Bader, Hunter Renfroe off waivers . August 31, 2023 . ESPN.com . August 31, 2023.
  12. Web site: Reds' Alejo Lopez: Outrighted to Triple-A. September 7, 2023. cbssports.com. en.
  13. Web site: Reds' Alejo Lopez: Joins major-league squad. September 10, 2023. cbssports.com. September 9, 2023 . en.
  14. Web site: Reds' Alejo Lopez: Starts for scratched Marte. September 10, 2023. cbssports.com. September 10, 2023 . en.
  15. Web site: Reds' Alejo Lopez: Returns to Triple-A. September 10, 2023. cbssports.com. September 10, 2023 . en.
  16. Web site: Alejo Lopez: Becomes free agent. October 3, 2023. cbssports.com. October 3, 2023 . en.
  17. Web site: Transactions . 2024-05-17 . MLB.com . en.