Jorge López’s wild ejection on Wednesday afternoon in Queens, and subsequent comments where he was believed to call his New York Mets the “worst team in probably the whole f—ing MLB,” ultimately led the organization to designate him for assignment.
In short, he was released after his ejection, which included throwing his glove into the stands and having words with the Mets.
López has since tried to clear up his comments to the media in the Mets’ clubhouse after the game, saying on his Instagram Stories that he was talking about himself being the worst teammate.
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Jorge López, #52 of the New York Mets, in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citizens Bank Park on May 16, 2024 in Philadelphia. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
“Who ever hear me I said teammate and what I said on the situation I been the worst teammate,” López wrote, “thanks media for make it worse.”
The bizarre chain of events led to many giving their opinion on the matter, and that included former MLB catcher and current Pittsburgh Pirates analyst Michael McKenry, who ripped the Mets for how they handled the entire situation.
“That really boggled my mind because the way they handled that as an organization was very poor,” McKenry said on OutKick’s “Hot Mic” Thursday. “What I mean is you have a guy [where] Spanish is his second language, and you have no interpreter there. So, you kinda leave him out to dry in the sense of like, he’s going to go with what he knows.
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“The most I learned about Spanish was not the good stuff. So, he’s going to go in a direction that he knows and feels comfortable with. And he’s in an emotional state.”
The 31-year-old López is Puerto Rican, and it is usually custom for Spanish-speaking players to have an interpreter with them to make sure the right things are being said to the media when being questioned.
Now, López is no stranger to this, as he made his big league debut in 2015, and he is with his sixth MLB team. While interpreters are available for players to use during questioning, some players choose to give their answers in English.
It is unknown if the Mets gave López the option to use an interpreter, or if he turned one down before the interview.
McKenry continued by saying, while López’s words may have been taken the wrong way, it does not excuse his actions, which his manager Carlos Mendoza called “unacceptable” after the game.
Jorge Lopez, #52 of the New York Mets, in action against the Detroit Tigers during game one of a double header at Citi Field on April 4, 2024 in New York City. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
“If you know anything about his story, he has some issues off the field. He has a kid that’s going through a lot,” McKenry explained, referring to López’s son awaiting an organ transplant. “So, he’s dealing with more than most people have to. That does not make an excuse to throw your glove into the stands and call out an organization you’re with – he did get DFA’d today.
“So, I think the reality of it is, someone needs to put their arm around this kid, love on him and say, ‘This is not OK.’ And not just throw it to the wind. I feel like that’s what the Mets have been doing over and over again – just throwing guys to the wind.”
The Mets have long been an organization associated with wild happenings on and off the field, so much so that the fan base expects them to happen each year.
However, the aura surrounding the team a couple of seasons ago, when Steve Cohen purchased the team, was completely different. High expectations entered Citi Field when Cohen opened his checkbook and brought in players like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and others to compete for a World Series championship.
New York would win 101 games in 2022, though they would lose to the San Diego Padres at home in the best-of-three wild card round. Still, things were looking up for the Mets.
That was until last season, when they went a surprising 75-87. As a result, Scherzer and Verlander were both traded before the MLB deadline, and the Mets virtually punted on the season despite owning the highest payroll in the league.
As McKenry pointed out, they still have that payroll above the rest of the competition, yet the results are 11 games under .500 at 22-33.
Jorge López, #52 of the New York Mets, in action against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on May 29, 2024 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
“I think they put the cart before the horse,” McKenry said of the Mets. “I think someone that loved the organization and thought they knew best thought they could buy a championship with some older players. It didn’t work out and I think he had to double down, he had to trade off those assets, and lose his high end on all of this.”
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Things are not going well for the Mets, and López’s situation is just the latest example of the dysfunction happening in Flushing.
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