San Diego Padres relief pitcher Robert Suarez was issued a 10-game suspension for using a banned sticky substance to help him better grip the ball, Major League Baseball announced Friday.
The 32-year-old Venezuelan right-hander was also fined an undisclosed sum for violating prohibitions on foreign substances, which led to his ejection before the top of the eighth inning of Wednesday's 4-0 victory over visiting Miami.
The ban was set to start Friday at Milwaukee but Suarez is appealing the punishment, so any suspension will wait until the process is completed.
Suarez was found to have a sticky substance on his left arm and wrist in Wednesday's contest, which led to his becoming the sixth pitcher to be suspended for a banned substance since a crackdown began in 2021.
Suarez has a 2-2 record this season with a 4.73 earned-run average in 13 appearances. He has struck out eight batters in 13 1/3 innings.
The South American hurler pitched five seasons in the Japan League, helping the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to Japan Series crowns in 2018 and 2019 and leading the Central League in saves in 2020 and 2021 for the Hanshin Tigers.
The Padres are 61-67, six games behind Arizona for the last National League wildcard playoff berth.
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