Jorge López will be cut by the struggling New York Mets after the reliever threw his glove into the stands following his ejection Wednesday at Citi Field.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called the outburst “not acceptable” and said it would be handled internally. López expressed no remorse over his display.
“I don’t regret it. I think I’ve been looking (like) the worst teammate probably in the whole MLB,” he said, using a profanity during a bizarre and confusing postgame interview in the Mets’ clubhouse.
López told reporters he had not spoken to Mendoza or president of baseball operations David Stearns about the outburst, but a person with direct knowledge of the situation said that was not true.
The person, who also confirmed López was being designated for assignment, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose that detail publicly.
López, an All-Star in 2022, gave up a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani late in New York’s 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Moments later, the right-hander was ejected for shouting at third base umpire Ramon De Jesus over an appeal ruling on Freddie Freeman’s checked swing.
“It’s just emotions. The game, it just takes you there,” López said.
López pointed at De Jesus and yelled some more, then dropped the ball and walked off the mound with his jersey untucked.
As he approached the Mets’ dugout, he tossed his glove high over the protective netting and it landed a couple of rows deep in the stands, where it was snagged by a fan.
