Yordano Ventura is getting a bad reputation for starting fights. (Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports)
Six players have been suspended as a result of Thursday’s benches-clearing brawl between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.
Joe Garagiola Jr., Major League Baseball’s senior vice president of Standards and on-field operations, made the announcement Saturday. A seventh player was fined.
For the Royals, pitcher Yordano Ventura received a seven-game suspension; pitcher Edinson Volquez a five-game suspension; outfielder Lorenzo Cain a two-game suspension; and pitcher Kelvin Herrera a two-game suspension. Royals manager Ned Yost said all four of his players would appeal their suspensions.
For the White Sox, pitchers Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija got five-game suspensions. Catcher Tyler Flowers was not suspended but was fined an undisclosed amount. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Sale and Samardzija will appeal and make their scheduled starts next week in Baltimore.
All six suspended players also received an undisclosed fine in addition to a suspension.
In addition, White Sox right-handed reliever Matt Albers was placed on the disabled list with a compression fracture to a finger on his pitching hand, an injury that happened during the brawl.
—Jim Fanning, the first general manager of the Montreal Expos and a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, died at age 87.
Fanning spent nearly 60 years in baseball, including stints as a player for the Chicago Cubs (1954-57), as a minor league manager for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and in various roles for the Expos over nearly 25 years.
Fanning became the Expos’ manager in their first year, 1968, helped turn them into National League East champions by 1973. He was replaced as GM in 1976 but stayed with the team in other roles — vice president, scouting director, broadcaster — until being named manager in 1981. He led them to their first playoff appearance in that strike-shortened season but stepped down after the 1982 season. He returned as interim manager in 1984.
—The Oakland Athletics placed infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist on the 15-day disabled list with a left medial meniscus tear.
According to reports, Zobrist will have knee surgery and be out four to six weeks.
To take his spot on the roster, the A’s selected infielder Max Muncy from Triple-A Nashville. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the A’s designated left-handed pitcher Eury De La Rosa for assignment.
—The Toronto Blue Jays released left-hander Ricky Romero, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 2013.
Romero has been trying to return from surgery on both knees. In five seasons with the Blue Jays, he was 51-45 with a 4.16 ERA and 622 strikeouts in 129 appearances.
—Catcher Yadier Molina was out of the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers because of a chest injury. Tony Cruz was expected to replace him
Molina left Friday night’s game in the fifth inning after being hit on the chest by a foul tip. Molina was listed as day-to-day.
—An MRI exam disclosed that left fielder Christian Yelich of the Miami Marlins has a bulging disk in his lower back, according to media reports.
Yelich has been placed on the the 15-day disabled list, but the Marlins are confident that he will be able to return as soon as he is eligible early in May.
—Right-hander Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals had his scheduled bullpen session pushed back one day to Sunday because he still was experiencing swelling in his right thumb.
Scherzer, who jammed the thumb while batting in his last start, still is scheduled to start on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. He has a 1-2 record this season with a 1.26 earned-run average.
—Right-hander Trevor Bauer of the Cleveland Indians was scratched from his scheduled start against the Detroit Tigers because of an undisclosed illness and replaced by left-hander TJ House.
Bauer, who is 2-0 with a 0.95 earned-run average this season, went out on the field for long-toss during warm-ups, but wasn’t up to it.
