Washington Nationals to Call Up Reynaldo Lopez

The Washington Nationals are set to promote one of their top pitching prospects to make his debut this Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed as if the Washington Nationals rotation would be set for the rest of the season with the addition of top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito.  After two troublesome starts, however, the Nats are sending Giolito down to Triple-A and will call up Reynaldo Lopez, another top right-handed pitching prospect.

Lopez’s rise to prominence has been rather swift.  After signing for just $17,000 in 2012, he showed flashes of brilliance in A-ball in the 2013 season, but began to dominate in 2014 and 2015.

Lopez ranks as the Nats’ fifth-best prospect, and has recently risen to 48th in Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list and 49th in Call to the Pen’s midseason rankings.

This season, he made his Double-A debut and has shown the poise of a veteran.  In 14 Double-A starts this season, he owns a 3.18 ERA with 11.79 K/9 – a number that has steadily increased over his time in the minors. Lopez was recently promoted to Triple-A and hasn’t been quite as dominant with higher walk and home run numbers, but he’s only made two starts.

The 22-year-old was also selected to this year’s Futures Game and pitched one scoreless inning.

With Joe Ross still on the disabled list and Giolito back in the minors, Lopez could make an impact right away with the Nationals.

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Lopez’s main calling card is his velocity, as his fastball sits in the mid-90s and has the ability to reach triple digits. He also has a plus curveball with a changeup that has the potential to be one of his better pitches, as noted by MLB Trade Rumors. It’s worth noting that Lopez could serve as a reliever when Ross returns, as his velocity fits well in a bullpen role.

While he possesses plus velocity, some scouts have questioned his ability to make it in the majors as a long-term starter due to command issues and his delivery mechanics.  But with Giolito in the minors and likely due to return this season, Lopez may not stick with the team as a starter for long.

There’s also a growing belief that Lopez’s promotion could be an audition for a trade in the coming weeks for an outfielder. Giolito and Ross’ presence in the organization signals that Lopez won’t have a long-term fit in the Nats rotation unless he absolutely dominates in his first few starts – but given his command issues in Triple-A, it’s hard to see him doing that.

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The best case scenario for Washington this season is that Lopez gives them a few solid starts until Ross returns, then either dominates out of the bullpen or establishes himself as a significant enough name to garner trade consideration.