On Friday, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced a 15-game suspension for Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright. Wright violated the league’s domestic violence policy, and could face further legal action if he’s involved in another incident. Wright is rehabbing a knee injury and therefore may begin the season on the disabled list. If he does, his suspension will begin when he returns from the DL. The team issued a statement following the announcement.
A statement from the Boston Red Sox regarding today’s Steven Wright ruling from Major League Baseball: pic.twitter.com/VFPKafiuZ6
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 23, 2018
Steven Wright Suspended for 15 Games
Wright was arrested in December and charged with domestic assault. Shortly before Wright was scheduled to appear in court, the case was retired. If he avoids further domestic incidents for a year, the case will be dismissed. According to Wright’s lawyer, no physical contact occurred during the altercation. It was a verbal argument which arose out of an emotional situation.
Wright has since expressed his regret, and is undergoing treatment and counseling. While Manfred, in his statement, indicated that he felt Wright was sincerely remorseful, he also felt Wright had violated league policy and therefore issued the suspension. The length of the suspension matches that of Jeurys Familia‘s 2017 suspension.
Though Wright avoided getting physical with his wife and has since taken steps to better himself, Manfred was absolutely right to suspend him. MLB should have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to any kind of domestic violence, verbal or physical. Hopefully, Wright has learned from the incident and can avoid future conflict.
Wright missed most of 2017 with a knee injury, but was a revelation for most of 2016. The starter was hoping to prove himself once again and reclaim a rotation spot this spring. This likely derails that plan in the short term. However, if whoever ends up as the fifth starter struggles to start the season, look for Wright to get a shot at the job once he returns from his suspension.
Main Photo:
