Arizona’s Smith suspended 10 games
Arizona left-hander Caleb Smith has been suspended 10 games and fined for having a foreign substance on his glove during a game last week.
Smith’s suspension, announced Tuesday, is the second as Major League Baseball cracks down on pitchers using sticky substances to get a better grip on the ball. Seattle’s Hector Santiago had his 10-game suspension issued last month upheld after appeal.
Smith has elected to appeal his suspension, which was to begin when the Diamondbacks played at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
“Everybody wants to be heard,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “I think Caleb just wants to talk to Major League Baseball, tell them what was going on.”
Lovullo said he did not know when the appeal would take place.
Smith had his glove confiscated after he came off the field in the eighth inning against Philadelphia last Wednesday and was ejected. The Diamondbacks will not be able to fill his spot on the 26-man roster during the suspension.
Pitchers are checked by umpires during games for illicit grip aids since the crackdown began June 21.
Smith, 30, is in his fifth big-league season. The left-hander is 4-8 with a 5.20 ERA this season after being traded by Miami last year. He also pitched for the Yankees.
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