Castellanos loses appeal of two-game suspension
Penalty stems from fracas during second game of the season.
Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos went out for dinner Sunday in Cincinnati, and the waiter showed him the background of his phone. It was a photo of the benches-clearing incident involving the Reds and St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of the season.
“These fans love their Reds,” Castellanos said Tuesday, “and they like the energy and enthusiasm and playing with nothing else but to win for this team and the city. The Big Red Machine weren’t exactly gentlemen-like on the field, but no one cares about that because they got a ring for their city.”
Castellanos provided the spark for that incident, which lit a fire under the Reds in the first homestand, but it also led to a twogame suspension. Major League Baseball rejected his appeal of the punishment Monday, so Castellanos will sit out the first two games of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks this week.
“It sucks,” Castellanos said. “No way around it. That pretty much describes it the best. I don’t really think my opinion matters. I happily accept my suspension. The only thing I will pay attention to is hopefully the rules and consequences are made consistent throughout the league.”
Castellanos is hitting .295 with five home runs and 10 RBIs. He started the first 15 games.
“You hate to lose a player for a couple games,” manager David Bell said. “It’s very significant. Each and every one of these games is so important. It’s a big deal, and it’s very serious to lose a player and play short. Knowing that, we’ll do everything we can to compensate for that and overcome that. But we hate that Nick will be out the next couple days.”
Castellanos was the only person ejected from that game April 3, though Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina grabbed Castellanos’ neck as he headed to the dugout.
Molina, Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado and pitcher Jordan Hicks received undisclosed fines as did Reds infielder Eugenio Suárez and outfielder Jesse Winker.
Castellanos said his argument in his appeal was “that all my energy was just focused on winning baseball games.”
Major League Baseball rejected his appeal because his actions endangered the safety of other players and broke COVID-19 protocols. Castellanos said he was told the incident could have led to a “superspreader event.”
Castellanos was asked if the experience will force him to adjust his actions on the field or if he wants to keep the same attitude, which has seemed to help the team as a whole. The Reds (9-6) opened the series Tuesday with their best record through 15 games since 2017.
“That’s a tough question,” Castellanos said. “I really take pride in being myself. I also don’t like being fined or suspended. I guess like anything there has to be a balance.”
Tyler Naquin, who’s hitting .262, started in Castellanos’ place in right field Tuesday. He ranks second in the National League with six home runs and leads the Reds with 15 RBIs.
“We’re in much better shape than we would have been without Tyler,” Bell said.