Minnesota Twins Place Reliever On IL For Mental Health

Mental health issues for athletes have come out of the closet in recent years, and it's something that MLB and teams are now taking seriously. For the Minnesota Twins' struggling reliever Jorge Lopez, he'll be given some time off for just that reason, as the team has placed him on the mental health injured list. 

Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli spoke about Jorge López being placed on the 15-day mental health injured list. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/Z3kMyUpnyq

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 18, 2023

"I'm glad that he's open to doing it," said manager Rocco Baldelli. "I’m actually glad that he’s open to the idea of doing it. It’s something that we are going to take advantage of right now and get him in the best possible place to come back.” 

Lopez, after beginning the season with 12 scoreless innings, has now allowed 15 earned runs in his last 15 innings since the start of May.  

He's the fourth major leaguer to be placed on the mental health IL this season, along with Oakland A's reliever Trevor May, Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard and Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows.

Lopez had some visible signs of issues after he was acquired by the Twins at least season's trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles. There were several outbursts, as noted by Twins beat writer Dan Hayes, including "wildly gesturing at umpires in disagreement over a strike call, punching the mound during a poor outing or yelling at himself."

Hopefully, Lopez is able to come back from this break in good spirits. 

Photo: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports