Mets reliever Edwin Diaz will not appeal his 10-game suspension for violating the prohibitions on foreign substances.
He will begin serving it on Tuesday when the Mets face the Yankees at Citi Field, and is eligible to return on July 6 when the Mets face the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
The Mets closer was about to take the mound for a ninth inning for a save opportunity in a 5-2 game on Sunday night, but a routine check of his hand and equipment led to him being ejected.
“I just said I use the same thing as always,” Diaz explained after the game. “I rub rosin, sweat, and I put my hand in the dirt a little bit because I need to have some grip on the ball. So that’s what I was explaining to them, but they said it was too much stick. I understood. But at the end of the day, I was using rosin, sweat, and put my hand in the dirt.
“I was really surprised because I didn’t have anything on my hand, my glove, my belt. They always check my hat, everything. And they thought that was sticky a lot. I said you could check my hand, smell my hand, and they didn’t smell anything, but they threw me out of the game.”
SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino did some further reporting on Monday, noting that by MLB’s rule, there is no such thing as “too sticky.” Rather, it’s a binary yes or no if there is a sticky substance detected.
If he doesn’t appeal, Diaz’s suspension will begin with the two-game Subway Series against the Yankees at Citi Field, which starts on Tuesday night.
He would also miss the three-game series against the Houston Astros and the four-game set at the Washington Nationals.
The Mets had brought in Díaz to protect a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth, but second base umpire Brian Walsh didn’t like what he saw during the routine hand check when a reliever enters a game. After a tense back-and-forth with Díaz and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, crew chief Vic Carapazza ejected the pitcher.
