Seattle Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago’s 10-game suspension for using a foreign substance has been upheld after a lengthy appeal, ESPN and The Athletic reported Thursday.
The Athletic cited confirmation from a Mariners spokesman. The suspension will begin Friday.
The Mariners will not be able to replace Santiago on the roster for the entirety of the suspension.
Santiago had his appeal heard on July 9.
Santiago, 33, was ejected by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi during the fifth inning of the Mariners’ 3-2 road victory on June 27 against the Chicago White Sox, a contest that started the day before being suspended due to weather.
Umpires confiscated the reliever’s glove after he allowed one run on three hits while striking out four in 2 1/3 innings. The glove was reportedly sent to New York for further inspection.
After the game, Santiago said he was only using rosin and nothing else.
“What they told me was you can’t use rosin on the glove hand,” Santiago said. “When I use rosin, I dab on both sides. The umpire said you couldn’t use it on the glove hand.”
Santiago was the first player to be ejected for a foreign substance violation under a crackdown started by MLB on June 21.
In nine relief appearances this season, Santiago is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA. In 266 career games (139 starts) with the White Sox (2011-13, 2018-19), Los Angeles Angels (2014-16), Minnesota Twins (2016-17), New York Mets (2019) and Mariners, Santiago is 48-51 with a 4.12 ERA. He was an All-Star in 2015.
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