Pitcher Jose Urena drops the appeal of his suspension.

MIAMI — Marlins pitcher José Ureña has dropped his appeal of a sixgame suspension after hitting Atlanta Braves rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. with the first pitch of last Wednesday’s game.

Ureña was suspended by Major League Baseball the following day, but elected to appeal the decision. He officially began serving the suspension Tuesday.

Prior to Ureña’s decision, Miami had already decided he wouldn't pitch against Atlanta during a four-game series that begins Thursday. The incident set off a benches-clearing skirmish between the two teams and led to a firestorm of criticism and anger directed toward the 26-year-old pitcher on social media.

“It seems like there's no reason to open that back up,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Who knows what happens — social media goes crazy, public goes crazy, announcers go crazy, then it gets out of hand. We don’t need that.”

Mattingly said earlier on Tuesday that Ureña is expected to return at Boston on Aug. 28.

The right-hander hit Acuna on the left arm with his first pitch, triggering a melee in the Marlins' 5-2 loss in Atlanta last Wednesday. Acuna went into the game having homered in five straight games, including four homers in the three games against Miami — three of them leading off.

Acuna left the game injured but was back in the lineup the next day. Ureña was ejected from the game after throwing just one pitch

Ureña had a bit of redemption in his next start — pitching a two-hitter on Sunday for his first complete game as Miami beat Washington, 12-1.

Stanton: ‘I’m going to enjoy it out there:’ Surrounded by a horde of media members in the visiting dugout, Giancarlo Stanton seemed at ease as he discussed his time with the Marlins, saying there were no hard feelings about his departure this offseason.

After playing eight seasons with Miami — highlighted by a franchise record 267 home runs and 2017 National League MVP honors — the Yankees slugger made his return to South Florida on Tuesday night.

“I’m going to enjoy the experience,” Stanton said before Tuesday’s game. “This place was a huge part of my life and I’m going to enjoy it out there.

“I always miss Miami — even when I go back in the offseason and I go home. I miss the city. It’s cool to be back, cool flying in and driving over the bridge and everything about the city.”

Drafted by the Marlins in 2007, Stanton blossomed into an MLB star during his time in South Florida. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound outfielder blasted at least 27 home runs in six of his eight seasons with the team and was a four-time All-Star.

His final year in Miami was a personal triumph as he hit 59 home runs en route to capturing league MVP honors.

Stanton’s time in Miami came to an end this offseason as the team’s new ownership group, led by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter, dealt the All-Star in an effort to rebuild and create financial flexibility due to the nature of his backloaded $325 million contract.

Despite the departure, Stanton said there’s no hard feelings.

“We know what the situation is over there now and how it was and we understand what they’ve been through and I’m just happy to be here,” Stanton said.

The 28-year-old was part of a major offseason overhaul, which included the trades of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Dee Gordon.

Information from the Associated Press contributed to this story.