TAMPA — The best bullpen in baseball will be missing a large arm at the start of the season.
Aroldis Chapman was socked with a 30-day suspension by Commissioner Rob Manfred without pay Tuesday for violating MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.
Chapman was involved in a domestic violence situation last October and fired eight shots into the ceiling of his Florida garage the same night.
The new Yankees closer won’t appeal despite saying he would when spring training camp opened. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, had Chapman appealed MLB was ready to impose a stronger punishment in the area of 35-to-40 games. The 30-game ban will cost Chapman $1.857 million of his $11.33 million salary this season.
Chapman will be allowed to work out in spring training and appear in exhibition games. He can’t pitch in minor league games but can use team facilities and work in extended spring training games. Because the Yankees are away for 15 of the 30 games, Chapman likely will remain in Florida when the season starts.
The first big league game Chapman is eligible to pitch is May 9 against the World Champion Royals at Yankee Stadium. Until then the Yankees will have to make do with Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller working the late innings as they did last season so well. While Chapman is banned, Miller likely will return to the closer’s role he handled last season.
The Yankees had hard-throwing lefty Justin Wilson in front of Betances last season, but he was dealt to the Tigers in early December.
“Today, I accepted a 30 game suspension from Major League Baseball resulting from my actions on October 30, 2015,’’ Chapman said in a statement released by his lawyer, Jay Reisinger. “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.”
Manfred noted Chapman using a gun the night of the domestic violence as playing a role in the punishment.
“I asked my staff to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the incident involving Aroldis Chapman on October 30, 2015,’’ Manfred said in a statement. “Much of the information regarding the incident has been made public through documents released by law enforcement. Mr. Chapman submitted to an in-person interview with counsel present. After reviewing the staff report, I found Mr. Chapman’s acknowledged conduct on that day to be inappropriate under the negotiated Policy, particularly his use of a firearm and the impact of that behavior on his partner.
“I am gratified that Mr. Chapman has taken responsibility for his conduct, that he has agreed not to appeal the 30-game suspension, and that he has agreed to comply with the confidential directives of the Joint Policy Board established under the parties’ Policy to ensure that a similar incident does not occur in the future.’’
From the late December day they acquired Chapman from the Reds for four minor leaguers, the Yankees have said they had confidence Manfred would do the right thing. That didn’t change after losing their closer.
“The New York Yankees support the decision made by The Commissioner today,’’ the club said via a statement. “We are pleased that Aroldis has accepted this discipline.’’
Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet, a national women’s advocacy organization, said MLB still has work to do.
“Domestic violence has no place in professional sports of any kind and no player, no matter how fast or well he throws a baseball, should go unpunished for these crimes,’’ Chaudhary said in a statement. “Chapman’s suspension is a step in the right direction but the MLB has a long way to go before fans can feel like domestic abuse will no longer be tolerated in baseball.”