Closer Aroldis Chapman has been suspended 30 games under the league’s domestic violence policy, commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Tuesday. Chapman will not appeal, and will lose about $1.7 million in salary.
Since the ban is just 30 games, Chapman will become a free agent after the season. There was a chance he would be under team control for two seasons if he was held out more than 40 games in 2016.
Here’s Chapman’s statement on the decision to forgo his right to appeal:
“Today, I accepted a 30 game suspension from Major League Baseball resulting from my actions on October 30, 2015. I want to be clear, I did not in any way harm my girlfriend that evening. However, I should have exercised better judgment with respect to certain actions, and for that I am sorry. “The decision to accept a suspension, as opposed to appealing one, was made after careful consideration. I made this decision in an effort to minimize the distractions that an appeal would cause the Yankees, my new teammates and most importantly, my family. I have learned from this matter, and I look forward to being part of the Yankees’ quest for a 28th World Series title. Out of respect for my teammates and my family, I will have no further comment.”
And a statement from the Yankees:
“The New York Yankees support the decision made by The Commissioner today. We are pleased that Aroldis has accepted this discipline.”
Some more notes on this suspension: The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports that Chapman cooperated with the investigation and owned up to violating Major League Baseball’s policy. The MLBPA also released a statement supporting Chapman’s decision and opposing “the mistreatment of others by playing or non-playing personnel.
Commissioner Manfred announced that A. Chapman has accepted a 30-game suspension w/o pay, effective Opening Day: pic.twitter.com/SrEaCTfei0
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) March 1, 2016
Chapman will continue on with the team in spring training and can return on May 9th.
The Yankees acquired Chapman from the Reds in December in the midst of a domestic violence investigation. He was not arrested or charged following an incident with his girlfriend in October in which he allegedly choked her and fired eight rounds from his gun into a wall.
Lead photo: Butch Dill / USA Today Sports