D-backs’ Smith suspended for foreign substance
Diamondbacks left-hander Caleb Smith has been suspended 10 games and fined an undisclosed amount for having a foreign substance on his glove during a game last week.
Smith’s suspension, announced on Tuesday, is the second this season as MLB 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 an appeal.
Smith has elected to appeal his suspension, which was scheduled to begin Tuesday night.
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 roster during the suspension.
All pitchers are being checked by umpires during games for illicit grip aids since the crackdown started on June 21.
The 30-year-old Smith is in his fifth big league season with his third team.
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