CLEVELAND, Tenn. — When the Cleveland Indians acquired Yasiel Puig from the Cincinnati Reds two weeks ago, they knew the right fielder would likely be serving a suspension at some point.
That time has now come.
On Monday, Puig opted to drop his appeal of the three-game suspension he was handed as the result of a fight that occurred during his final game as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. As a result, the former All-Star will miss Cleveland's three-game series with the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field, which is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Puig will be eligible to rejoin the Indians on Thursday when they head to New York for a four-game series with the Yankees.
Puig's suspension comes as the result of a July 30 brawl between the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates, which occurred moments after it was first reported the 28-year-old had been traded to Cleveland in a three-way deal also involving the San Diego Padres. Speaking to reporters the following day, Indians team president Chris Antonetti described what it was like watching a player he had just agreed to acquire be involved in an on-field fight.
"We've almost come to expect surreal things any time we go to complete trades," Antonetti said. "Going back to Ubaldo Jimenez warming up with [the Colorado Rockies] at the time we were trading for him and watching him pitching 40-something pitches in an inning and then having him do a physical after that. So we've almost come to expect it."
Hours before Puig was set to make his Cleveland debut on Aug. 1, MLB announced that he had been handed a three-game suspension as a result of the brawl. The Cuba native, however, appealed the ruling, which allowed him to remain an active part of Cleveland's roster for the past 11 games, in which the Indians amassed an 8-3 record.
In that span, Puig has been a big part of the Indians' success, hitting for a .357 average (.984 OPS), 1 home run, 4 doubles and 6 RBIs. On Sunday, he went 1-for-5 with a double in Cleveland's 7-3 victory over Minnesota, in which the Indians tied the Twins for first place in the American League Central Division.