Lopez began the season at Double-A Montgomery and finished it with four games on the big-league roster, which is a rarity for the Tampa Bay organization as it rarely promotes starting pitchers multiple levels in the same season. These actions were more based on necessity than merit given the season-ending injuries to 60 percent of the club's starting staff and the attrition of arms on the 40-man roster. Lopez climbed to Triple-A early in the 2023 season while striking out a bevy of lower-level hitters, mainly with a low-arm-slot slider. Experienced hitters in Triple-A were not as easily fooled nor were the major-league hitters as the strikeout rate cooled and the walk rate escalated. He still managed 96 strikeouts in 92 innings but best profiles as a swingman out of the bullpen, replacing the role Ryan Yarbrough and Josh Fleming held on the roster before him. Read Past Outlooks