The MLB announced today that Oakland A‘s center-fielder Ramon Laureano has had his suspension reduced. The outfielder was suspended on August 11th, following a brawl between his Athletics and the Houston Astros on August 9th. The brawl started following an exchange of words between Laureano and Astros’ hitting coach Alex Cintron.
Impact of the Suspension
The reduction of the suspension means that Laureano will drop his appeal of the suspension. His suspension will begin tonight against the San Francisco Giants and will end following a series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.
Laureano showed his impact on the team even after the initial suspension was handed out. Offensively, he only hit .250 with two RBIs over the course of the two games. However, Laureano really showed his defensive talent, coming up with two huge grabs against the Angels in the series closer.
Ramón Laureano making home run robbery look easy | #RootedInOakland https://t.co/Md1AjvSmJ5 pic.twitter.com/qkL1CNizUE
— MLBdream (@MLBdream) August 12, 2020
All Ramón, all the time#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/VMT9D3G4KN
— Oakland A’s (@Athletics) August 12, 2020
The Athletics will certainly feel the impact defensively of the budding star. So far this season, Laureano has matched his career-best in runs saved above average. He has helped his team stop six runs from scoring across his first 18 appearances. During this season, he has also had 49 defensive chances without succumbing to an error so far.
The Bright Side
However, if there is a series to lose your defensive star for, it is this one. The Giants bats have not yet fully woken up this season. The Diamondbacks, while slightly better than the Giants, are in the same boat. Both teams are right about the middle of the league in runs scored. It is much better to lose him for these four games than for the series against the Los Angeles Angels that bookend these two series.
Overall, the Athletics will miss out on having a great defender in the outfield for a few games. In the long-run, however, this is the best case scenario for the team and the player. These are games that the Athletics should be okay with a hole in the lineup.
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