MLB has ruled on suspensions from the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox's June 30 brawl at Fenway Park. The news is largely rough for Boston, which has had two players suspended, but there's a silver lining in the mix.
Willson Contreras has been suspended for seven games for his part in the confrontation, as well as for violating MLB's social media policy for posting on Instagram during the game (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). The first baseman approached the mound after Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli taunted him following a strikeout. The benches cleared after Contreras, who was throwing punches, and even threw his helmet into the scuffle. Contreras was ejected from the game following the incident.
Cavalli has also been suspended for seven games for his part in initiating the fight. Cavalli was caught on a hot mic telling Contreras to "sit down, boy" after striking him out — he used a pejorative nickname that has longstanding racially insensitive connotations.
Red Sox infielder Nate Eaton and Nats pitcher Miles Mikolas had their own tussle on the side of the scrum and are suspended for three and five games, respectively. All of the players suspended have also been fined an undisclosed amount. They can appeal the suspensions, and they might end up being shortened after the appeal process.
Red Sox Willson Contreras, Nate Eaton, Nationals Cade Cavalli and Miles Mikolas suspended for varying lengths of time after June 30 brawl
Cavalli's suspension is the silver lining for the Sox, as he wasn't ejected from the game after his comment, which set Contreras off. Whether he was aware his jab had a racist history or not, MLB can't let such a demeaning action stand.
On a different note, Contreras and Eaton's suspensions are deeply unfortunate for Boston. Contreras has been one of the Sox's best players on both sides of the ball all season, to the tune of a .283/.377/.529 slash line, 18 home runs and an out above average at first base over over 83 games. Losing him for any amount of time is a crushing blow to the offense, especially while the Red Sox have a tiny chance to stay in the Wild Card conversation before the trade deadline.
The Red Sox's infield is also heavily injured at the time of the two suspensions. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Marcelo Mayer, Trevor Story and Nick Sogard are on the injured list (Sogard has begun a rehab assignment) and Boston is running out of depth options in the minor leagues. Anthony Seigler and Tsung-Che Cheng are already up with the big league team.
Since Cavalli is a starter, he'll really only miss one game as part of his suspension, while the Red Sox will lose Contreras for an entire week. Unfortunately, Contreras' infractions — throwing his helmet and essentially threatening fans on social media — are severe and an appeal may not lower his punishment by much.
Contreras is going through a lot at the time of his suspension and the earthquakes in his home country are a tragedy that needs to be addressed. But he's also a veteran on this Red Sox team and he needs to understand that his actions impact the people around him as well as himself. His passion is infectious, but it is occasionally poorly placed.
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