The blistering hot New York Mets will be forced to try to continue their winning ways without a key piece of their roster for the time being.
On Monday, Major League Baseball announced the inevitable; Mets closer Edwin Diaz has been issued a 10-game suspension for his ejection following a sticky substance check prior to the start of the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs in New York's latest 5-2 win.
Cameras showed Diaz's hand looking dirty, which led to the umpires claiming his hand was too sticky before ultimately tossing him from the game. As Diaz told reporters afterwards, he did his usual routine of mixing rosin, sweat and dirt, which is why his hand appeared the way that it did. He has no plans to change anything when he does return because his hat, belt and uniform were not deemed as sticky by the umpiring crew.
In the past, a number of pitchers who were ruled as being too sticky have been given the chance to go wash their hands before the umpires made any rash decisions. On Sunday night, Diaz was not allowed this opportunity.
Diaz can appeal, which would mean he'd be eligible to pitch in the Subway Series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the Mets have two off-days this week, so it would make more sense for Diaz to begin his suspension immediately since the team cannot replace his roster spot. Should Diaz accept the suspension, he'd be able to return to action on July 6.
The Mets are 15-6 in their last 21 games and have pulled within one game back of the final Wild Card spot in the NL, as well as just two games back of the second slot. They will have to figure out who closes games in Diaz's absence, which could be a combination of Reed Garrett, Adam Ottavino, Drew Smith, Dedniel Nunez and/or Jake Diekman, depending on the matchup situation.
