Lopez was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, William Ladson of MLB.com reports.
Lopez looked to be trending towards remaining in the rotation heading into his most recent start, but he gave up six runs (four earned) in just 2.2 innings of work in that outing. With that, the Nationals sent him down, but it may not be for a particularly long time. Given that rosters expand next week, Lopez could certainly rejoin the Nationals in the near future. Prior to his tough start Tuesday, he flashed serious potential, fanning 11 Braves over seven innings to pick up his second career win.