José López (pitcher)

José Alexander López (born February 15, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tampa Bay Rays
On October 28, 2016, López signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent. He made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Rays in 2017, posting a 3.08 ERA in 15 games. López spent the 2018 season with the rookie–level Gulf Coast League Rays, recording a 2.27 ERA with 36 strikeouts across $43 1⁄3$ innings pitched.

López spent the 2019 campaign with the rookie–level Princeton Rays, registering a 4–3 record and 2.54 ERA with 55 strikeouts over 12 starts. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. López returned to action in 2021 with the Single–A Charleston RiverDogs and High–A Bowling Green Hot Rods. In 27 games (10 starts) between the two affiliates, he accumulated a 6–7 record and 5.06 ERA with 83 strikeouts across $74 2⁄3$ innings.

López spent the majority of the 2022 campaign with the Double–A Montgomery Biscuits, compiling an 8–3 record and 2.60 ERA with 91 strikeouts and 9 saves. On December 7, 2022, the San Diego Padres selected López from the Rays in the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings. On March 26, 2023, López was returned to the Rays after struggling to a 9.00 ERA across seven spring training appearances.

He was assigned to the Triple–A Durham Bulls to begin the 2023 season, where he posted a 5.19 ERA with 27 strikeouts and 2 saves in 23 appearances. On June 10, 2023. López was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut the same day, allowing one run on three hits in two innings of work against the Texas Rangers. On July 7, López was designated for assignment following the promotion of Elvin Rodríguez. After clearing waivers, he was released by the Rays on July 10. On July 21, López re–signed with the Rays on a minor league contract. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Hagerstown Flying Boxcars
On July 1, 2024, López signed with the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.