Lopez threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout in Tuesday's spring training win over Tampa Bay. It was his first outing since throwing three scoreless innings in three games for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
Lopez has looked sharp this spring between the WBC and Grapefruit League action (three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and one walk). Twins manager Rocco Baldelli hasn't given any indications about how he plans to use his bullpen this spring, but Lopez figures to be in the mix for saves. While Jhoan Duran may be the best reliever, Baldelli usually runs his bullpen with disregard for the save statistic. Duran may be used in high-leverage matchups with Lopez pitching the ninth inning, for example. Griffin Jax and Jorge Alcala could also figure into the mix to finish games. Lopez struggled with a 4.37 ERA and just a 18:14 K:BB in 22.2 innings after his trade to Minnesota, so it's encouraging to see him have a strong spring.