Former Blue Jays infielder is proving that a longer leash was all he needed in Toronto

Maybe all Otto Lopez needed was some more time.

The former Blue Jay infielder will make his return to Rogers Centre this weekend as his Miami Marlins come to Toronto for the final three days of the 2024 regular season. Lopez, who will turn 26 years old on Tuesday, was a Blue Jay farmhand who played nine games with Toronto in 2021 and 2022. In those games, Lopez went a combined 6 for 10 with a walk and three RBI in 11 plate appearances.

Once a top prospect (13th ranked 2020 Blue Jays prospect according to MLB.com, No. 25 on the Jays Journal 2020 list), Lopez was a Blue Jay minor leaguer from 2017 until 2023 after signing as an international free agent in 2016 as a 17-year-old. He was an organizational All-Star in 2019 and put together two great seasons in Triple A with Buffalo in 2021 and 2022. Injuries slowed Lopez down in 2023, as he played in just 84 games and posted a .656 OPS with the Bisons. He did not see the majors.

Then in February, the Blue Jays designated Lopez for assignment to make room for pitcher Yariel Rodriguez on the 40-man roster and alleviate an infield logjam. Although there was some confusion about whether he had any minor league options left, Lopez ended up being traded to the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations. The Giants DFA'd Lopez a few days later, and he was claimed off waivers by the Marlins on April 4.

After just a few games with Miami's Triple-A team, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp of the International League, Lopez was called up to the majors on April 15. And he stayed there, except for stints on the paternity list and 10-day Injured List (which included a short rehab in Jacksonville).

Entering the final weekend of 2024, Lopez has played in 114 games for Miami, with 100 of those games at second base. He has also spent time at third base and shortstop, and even three innings in center field and seven innings in left.

In order for a team to see Lopez blossom into an everyday major leaguer, all he needed was playing time. That case could certainly made this season.

This season, Lopez is hitting .264/.307/.369 in 420 plate appearances, with six home runs, 21 doubles, 37 runs batted in and 45 runs scored. Lopez has only drawn 24 walks, but has struck out 74 times, which is a strikeout rate of 17.6 percent, well below the MLB average of 22.7 percent. He has also swiped 19 bases in 22 tries.

But it has been the second half of the season, especially the last month, when Lopez has taken off at the plate. In 22 games in September, Lopez has hit .325 with an on-base percentage of .364. His OPS for the month is .870, the highest of any month this season. He is 27-for-83 at the plate with three home runs and six doubles, driving in 12 runs and drawing 12 walks during the month.

Lopez has made some strides in the field as well. According to StatCast, Lopez is third among all major league second basemen with 16 Outs Above Average and 12 runs prevented. Altogether, he ranks 14th among all MLB players with 14 OAA and 17th with 10 runs prevented.

Now, obviously, if the Jays (or the Giants) had held on to Lopez, would that have changed the team's fortunes in 2024? Unlikely. But considering the group of infielders with Toronto after Lopez was dealt — Cavan Biggio, Justin Turner, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Santiago Espinal — that are no longer with the team, Lopez may have gotten an opportunity at playing on a regular basis. From there, who knows?

Lopez isn't setting the world on fire, but he has shown enough improvement to be called an everyday player. That was probably unthinkable a year ago. Homegrown talent is vital for a successful MLB franchise, and occasionally it takes time to develop. Of course, teams have to deal with roster congestion at times, which requires moves to be made that front offices likely don't want to make. But some front offices seem to handle it better than others.

Having a homegrown talent mature into a regular MLB player is usually worth the wait.