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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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One day after they traded versatile infielder Oswald Peraza to the Los Angeles Angels, the New York Yankees reportedly lost another utilityman.
Nicky Lopez opted out of his contract with the Yankees, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.com on Twitter/X, less than a month after he signed with the team as a free agent.
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Lopez, 30, joined the Yankees on July 3 — two days after he was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had been playing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the meantime, where he was hitting .263 (15 for 57) for the Yankees' top farm team.
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Lopez hit .361/.439/.472 in his first nine games at Triple-A, then fell into a slump. He had two hits in his last 24 plate appearances, a span of eight games. In an MLB career that began in 2019, Lopez has seen time at all four infield positions as well as left field.
When the Yankees acquired infielder Jose Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday — in the middle of a game against the Rays — and dealt Peraza to the Angels, perhaps the writing on the wall was clear.
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In theory, Lopez (a left-handed hitter) could have filled the utility infielder's role vacated by Peraza (a right-handed hitter). The Yankees acquired another veteran left-handed hitter, Ryan McMahon, from the Colorado Rockies last week to solve their hole at third base, relegating Peraza to the bench. Now the bench job figures to go to Caballero, not Lopez.
The opt-out continues a whirlwind season for Lopez. The Yankees are the fourth organization to have employed him this season.
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The Chicago Cubs signed Lopez on Feb. 7 but released him March 21, leaving him a sliver of time to latch on with another team in spring training. He did exactly that, signing with the Angels four days later.
In four games with the Angels, Lopez went 0 for 6 before being designated for assignment.
More news: Aaron Judge Injury Almost Made Yankees Into Trade Deadline Sellers: Report
The Cubs brought Lopez back for a cup of coffee, and he went 1 for 18 (.056) in 14 games before being DFA'd again. The Diamondbacks called, but couldn't make room for him on their 26-man roster after Lopez batted .267/.303/.317 in 24 games at Triple-A Reno.
Lopez previously played for the Kansas City Royals (2019-23), Atlanta Braves (2023) and Chicago White Sox (2024), slashing .245/.310/.311 in 686 games. Now he will hit the open market again with a chance to join his fifth different organization this season.
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