Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Genesis Cabrera takes the field before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Houston. Cabrera will begin serving his suspension Tuesday night at Houston after his three-game ban was reduced to two games. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Kevin M. Cox
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Genesis Cabrera will begin serving his suspension Tuesday night after his three-game ban was reduced to two games on appeal.
MLB announced the suspension on Sunday but Cabrera was available to the team during the appeal process. A settlement on the discipline was confirmed Tuesday afternoon by a Blue Jays spokesperson.
On Saturday, Cabrera shoved Jose Caballero after the Rays shortstop was tagged out at third base in Toronto’s 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.
Caballero’s momentum caused him to bump into Cabrera, who was behind the base to back up the throw. Caballero did not retaliate but the benches cleared after the dust-up.
The six-foot-two 180-pound Cabrera was 2-1 with a 4.04 earned-run average over 61 appearances last season for the Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals.
He’ll miss two games against the Houston Astros and will be eligible to return Friday for the opener of Toronto’s three-game series at New York.
Cabrera made his big-league debut in 2019 with St. Louis and spent parts of five seasons with the team. He was traded to the Blue Jays last July in exchange for minor-league catcher Sammy Hernandez.
His absence is a blow to a Toronto bullpen that’s already without closer Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson due to injury.
Romano (elbow), from Markham, Ont., and Swanson (forearm) both started the regular season on the 15-day injured list after suffering injuries in the pre-season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2024.
