Awaiting his child’s transplant and getting cut from the Mets, Jorge Lopez seems unable to catch a break. The 31-year-old pitcher expressed his embarrassing MLB career in a way he wouldn’t have wanted. On the field, after he threw his gloves, an hour after the incident, Lopez looked in total distress. A galore of raw emotions, sadness, and unease were clearly seen on his face. 

For a player whose child is waiting to undergo a transplant, controlling emotions and hiding away the pain sometimes becomes impossible. Adding media miscommunication to Lopez’s tragedy list, a lot is going on in the life of the Peurto Rican pitcher.

Jorge Lopez’s turbulent time

Jorge Lopez knew it was coming. On Thursday, he was designated for assignment by the New York Mets right after being ejected following a horrendous incident. He was struggling on the mound, with yet another game slipping from the Mets’ grasp. During the game, Lopez began arguing with Ramon De Jesus, the third base umpire, about a call. After the umpire disqualified him, he untucked his jersey and threw his glove into the stands.

Speaking to the media after the game, he quoted himself as the worst teammate in baseball. However, since English is not his primary language, he struggled to convey the context of his bold statement. 

The next morning, it was all a mess as Lopez blamed the media for the miscommunication, even if it was totally unintentional. 

Clarifying Lopez’s wordings, a statement translated by his agent reads:” During that interview, I spoke candidly about my frustrations with my personal performance and how I felt it made me the worst teammate in the entire league. Unfortunately, my efforts to address the media in English created some confusion. And generated headlines that do not reflect what I was trying to express.”

Yet another comment came from Boomer Esiason, a former NFL quarterback who expressed regret over his wordings on Jorge Lopez. On his show, “Boomer and Gio“ on WFAN, Esiason offered his apology, saying, “I don’t know what’s going through this young man’s head. I just know there was a year where I had to play without knowing what Gunnar was going through,“ Esiason said. “I know exactly how difficult that is to balance those two things. So, I want to offer an apology to Jorge Lopez and what I said this morning about how I thought [Mets manager Carlos] Mendoza should have handled it.”

According to Yahoo!’s Jake Mintz, Mikael, Lopez’s son, is suffering from “Mediterranean fever,” a condition that causes immense physical discomfort and has required regular hospital visits and multiple transplants.” Aside from Mediterranean fever, Lopez’s son also suffers from Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease. Mediterranean fever is a genetic autoinflammatory disorder that causes painful inflammation in the abdomen, joints, and chest and recurring fever. 

Jorge Lopez’s mixed past & the road ahead for the pitcher

Lopez’s past mental health history has not been far away from the reach of media houses. In 2022, playing for the Baltimore Orioles, Lopez would take extra time and cool himself down after a bad match. But the people who spent ample time around Jorge in Baltimore adored him, describing him as a kind-hearted person. 

However, after the recent Mets incident, Lopez’s professional future looks absurd. The Mets have a 10-day window to trade Lopez or have him “claim off waivers.” His future is not in his hands, and he will have to wait and see what happens next. 

Eventually, those who had previously talked with Lopez, including media members and former teammates, were happy with his behavior. They painted his face as a kind soul constantly in battle with himself.