Reynaldo López was set to square off against former Chicago White Sox teammate AJ Pollock in the third inning Monday.
López took a peek at the baserunner on first and came set. But before he could fire home, he was called for a violation of the 20-second pitch clock rule and a ball was called to begin the at-bat.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh,'” López said with a smile. “But I didn’t worry about it.”
That was about the only hiccup for the Sox reliever in his first spring training outing. López allowed one hit in a scoreless, 12-pitch inning against the Seattle Mariners at Camelback Ranch.
“My arm feels good,” López said. “Control the fastball, the slider. Everything is working right now.
“Twelve pitches. I’d come back and throw 12 pitches every inning.”
López became a force in the bullpen last season after working exclusively as a starter for the Sox from 2017-20. And the team anticipates more success in 2023.
“I think this is going to be a really big year for Reynaldo,” general manager Rick Hahn said on the first day of camp Feb. 15. “I love the way he’s taken to that (relief) role the last couple years, and he has the stuff to be a dominant late-inning guy.”
Manager Pedro Grifol said the right-hander was sharp leading up to Monday’s appearance.
“He looks great,” Grifol said Monday morning. “He’s in really good shape. His arm feels great. He’s had really good live (batting practices). The ball is coming out of his hand really well.”
Eleven of López’s 20 appearances in 2021 came in relief. He had an even larger bullpen role last season, going 6-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 61 appearances (one start).
“It’s more focused than anything,” López said of lessons he has learned as a reliever. “Like pitch by pitch, hitter by hitter. Try to throw first-pitch strikes. That’s my focus right now. That’s a good thing for a pitcher.”
The Sox plan on using López in key situations.
“He’s definitely a leverage guy,” Grifol said. “We’ve got a few of those guys, which is good. Opening day, they are all going to be available. Second day, not all of them will be available. Third day, not all of them are going to be.
“In reality, you need a few of those leverage guys. It’s going to be rare … (that) we have them all available, so versatility is really important for us.”
While they’re without closer Liam Hendriks, who announced in January he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the Sox don’t anticipate having one set person for the ninth.
“Absolutely not,” Grifol said. “That’s not how we are going to run it unless Liam Hendriks is back.”
The relievers — whether it’s López, Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly or Aaron Bummer, to name a few options — will be aware in advance of which slots they are likely to appear.
“They are going to know pockets,” Grifol said. “They are going to know which part of the game they might be in. Obviously games change. The game changes things.
“But for the most part, they are going to know. I’m not going to buckle anybody where, ‘You are going to pitch in this part of the game or look for this pocket,’ and all of a sudden, ‘Hey, you are in in the fifth.’ That’s not what I’m envisioning.”
After making 81 starts for the Sox from 2017-20, López has embraced the relief responsibilities. And he’s preparing for any opportunity.
“Starting is long, long gone,” he said with a smile. “I just focus on my spot right now. To be a reliever is my home right now.
“Right now they don’t tell me anything (about a particular inning), but my mindset is the same as last year: Be focused and ready for the call. Seventh, sixth, eighth or ninth, I’ll just try to do my job and do my best.”
