Only competing for an outside-chance-if-someone-gets-hurt spot on the Phillies roster, Rodrigo Lopez's prospects of making the team out of camp were bleak. Then he gave up eight runs yesterday in the 17-10 Braves-Phillies blowout. Today, Lopez has been reassigned to minor league camp, Jim Salisbury reports.
The bullpen appears to have two options for a long man in Chad Durbin and Raul Valdes, so Lopez was not in the running for such a job either. Aaron Cook, a player signed for possible AAA inventory, remains in camp despite three runs of his own yesterday. Cook has an opt-out clause in his contract should he not make the major league club so the Phillies may keep him around a while to see if he would exercise it.
Lopez, meanwhile, will be stashed away at AAA for a rainy day, or, in case of injury as he was in the Phillies for 2009. Then, he bridged the gap in the Phillies starting rotation between a Brett Myers injury and the acquistion of Cliff Lee. Let's hope there's no need to grab him for a start this season.
