Following Thursday's loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies informed infielder Jose Lopez that he was designated for assignment, MLB.com's Thomas Harding reports. This move was speculated over for the last few days as the team has looked to shake things up with the dormant offense.
Lopez was acquired during the 2010 offseason from the Seattle Mariners for minor league pitcher Chaz Roe. Lopez was beat out for the second base job by Jonathan Herrera and began to play third base primarily as Ian Stewart failed to hit. But Lopez couldn't hit either, putting up a .210/.234/.290 line in 128 plate appearances. Expected to be a good rebound candidate since he would play at Coors Field, the Lopez experiment failed.
Troy Renck tweets that Eric Young Jr. will be called up on Friday to take Lopez's spot on the roster. Young is hitting .363/.462/.544 with 10 stolen bases. Though primarily an infielder for most of his career, the Rockies have played him predominantly in the outfield with the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox this season. He will likely play both the infield and the outfield upon his recall.
For more on this move and the Rockies, visit Purple Row.