New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz has been suspended 10 games and fined an undisclosed amount after violating prohibitions on foreign substances, Major League Baseball announced Monday.
The suspension, issued by MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill, will begin Tuesday, when the Mets are set to host the New York Yankees at Citi Field, unless he appeals the discipline. If Díaz appeals to MLB special assistant John McHale Jr., the penalty would be held in abeyance until the disciplinary process is complete.
Díaz was ejected before he took the mound in the ninth inning of the Mets’ 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night by crew chief Vic Carapazza after a sticky, discolored substance was found on Díaz’s hand.
Díaz, 30, told reporters he uses only rosin, sweat and dirt on his hands.
“I use the same thing, always,” he said. “I rub rosin, sweat and I put my hand in the dirt a little bit so I can have some grip on the ball. … I was really surprised because I didn’t have anything on my hand, glove or belt. They always check everything.”
Carapazza said in a pool report after the game it “definitely wasn’t rosin and sweat” on Díaz’s hand.
“We’ve checked thousands of these,” Carapazza said. “I know what that feeling is. This was very sticky.”
Both Díaz and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the umpire said he thought the pitcher had too much of a combination of rosin, sweat and dirt on his throwing hand.
“The rules are the rules, and they made the decision to throw him out,” Mendoza said.
Díaz, a two-time All-Star, has struggled this season, with just seven saves and a 4.70 ERA. He missed all of last season with a knee injury suffered while celebrating a Puerto Rico win in the World Baseball Classic and spent about two weeks on the injured list this season with a shoulder issue before being reinstated June 13.
Díaz became the eighth pitcher suspended for sticky stuff since MLB cracked down on pitchers attempting to use foreign substances to improve their grip and spin rates in 2021. Three of them have been Mets, including Max Scherzer and Drew Smith last year.
The Houston Astros‘ Ronel Blanco was suspended on May 15.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.