Mariners suspend catcher for remainder of season after tweets
SEATTLE _ The Seattle Mariners have suspended catcher Steve Clevenger without pay for the remainder of the season following a pair of tweets he sent out on Thursday afternoon that were critical of the Black Lives Matter movement and President Barack Obama.
"As soon as we became aware of the tweets posted by Steve yesterday we began to examine all of our options in regard to his standing on the team," manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. "Today we have informed him that he is suspended for the reminder of the season without pay."
Clevenger's tweets first appeared on Thursday, but his account was then set to private. But multiple outlets had screen grabs of them. The Mariners later released a statement condemning the tweets. On Thursday evening, Clevenger released a statement through Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
It remains to be seen how the Major League Baseball Players' Union will handle the suspension. It could ask for an immediate appeal.
An employee under contract, the Mariners are within their rights as an employer to suspend Clevenger without pay for conduct detrimental to the organization. As for his future with the organization, he's under club control, but the team could choose to non-tender him a contract in the offseason if it wants to move on. Clevenger is on the 60-day disabled list and wasn't expected to return this season.
Clevenger's salary is $516,500 this season.
_The Seattle Times
