Lopez (biceps) blew the save Thursday against the Twins. He allowed one run on one hit while striking out one over one inning.
Lopez had been dealing with bicep fatigue since exiting Sunday's outing due to the issue but was cleared for action Thursday and ended up toeing the rubber in the eighth inning. Though Lopez allowed just one hit in his only frame of work, it was a costly one, as Byron Buxton clubbed a solo home run to equalize the score 2-2. The 29-year-old righty is off to a poor start to 2023, holding an 8.78 ERA to pair with an 0-2 record while converting on just three of seven save attempts. The only saving grace for Lopez has been his strikeout ability, fanning 20 in 13.1 innings. With Liam Hendriks (illness) on the 15-day injured list, Lopez could still see some opportunities moving forward, though Keynan Middleton or Kendall Graveman could push him for temporary closing duties given Lopez's struggles.