Boston Red Soxfirst baseman Willson Contreras has had his suspension shortened from seven to five games after appeal, according to MassLive's Sean McAdam.
Contreras's original punishment was handed out on July 2nd for his part in a benches-clearing melee with the Washington Nationals that occurred the night before. It was an eventful couple of weeks for the Sox slugger, who had instigated a separate altercation with the New York Yankees on June 26th and was ejected back-to-back nights on June 30th and July 1st.
Nationals' pitcher Cade Cavalli was also given a seven-game suspension for his controversial comments toward Contreras which sparked the incident, which was later reduced to five games after appeal. Each party involved immediately appealed to major league baseball, with Washington's Miles Mikolas's five-game ban still pending and Boston's Nate Eaton's reduced from three games to two, which he served Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago.
As he awaited the result of his appeal, Contreras was named to the All-Star Game on Monday, selected for the Home Run Derby on Tuesday, and then injured in a game on Wednesday night. The 34-year-old fouled a ball off of his foot and despite finishing his at-bat and attempting to come back out in the field, had to leave early with what was later revealed to be a foot contusion.
It seems like Contreras dodged a bullet with his injury, but it remains unclear if he will be able to participate in the All-Star weekend festivities. Still, it is as good a time as any to have to miss games with injury considering he will begin serving his five-game suspension this afternoon.
With four games left until the break, Contreras will have to serve just one more game on the other side, which will be the first of a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays. Whether he is healthy then is another question, but the Red Sox will be pleased to put this suspension behind them and get their All-Star slugger back in the lineup for the rest of a crucial July stretch.
