Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted the news. He listed all the players who will be accepting their 50-game suspensions following the dramatic Biogenesis case that has darkened the skies of baseball once again. Here are the dopers who will be gone from baseball for most of the remaining games of the 2013 season.
Nelson Cruz- (Texas Rangers) 27 HR, 76 RBI
On his contract year, Cruz will miss the last 50 games remaining in the Rangers' season. The team is in second place and will be needing contributions on offense now that Cruz will no longer be around. He was on pace to shatter his career high in home runs (33) and RBI (76), but Cruz will now have to wonder what teams will be offering next season when he becomes a free agent.
Jhonny Peralta- (Detroit Tigers) .305 AVG, 11 HR, 54 RBI
The Tigers appear to be in good shape, but Peralta's bat will be missed. The Tigers must have expected a suspension since they acquired Julio Iglesias from the Boston Red Sox in a seven-player deal last week. Peralta's bat awakened in 2013, following an abysmal 2012 season.
Everth Cabrera- (San Diego Padres) .283 AVG, 4 HR, 31 RBI 37 SB
The speedster, currently the N.L.'s leading base stealer, will be out 50 games as well. Cabrera is a huge part of the Padres' offense, but what's different about Cabrera's suspension is that he's not playing in a team contending for the playoffs. It doesn't lessen the severity of the case, proving MLB is willing to bring down anybody breaking the rules.
Here are the rest of the guys gone for 50 games:
Antonio Bastardo RP, Philadelphia Phillies
Jordany Valdespin OF, New York Mets
Francisco Cervelli C, New York Yankees
Jesus Montero C, Seattle Mariners
Sergio Escalona P, Houston Astros (2011)
Cesar Puello OF, New York Mets (Minors)
Fautino De Los Santo RP, San Diego Padres
Fernando Martinez OF, New York Yankees
Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon and Gio Gonzalez are layers celebrating right now because they weren't tied into suspensions. Gonzalez was linked to reports when the news came to light, but he was never found guilty. Meanwhile, Cabrera and Colon were both suspended last season.
