The Mariners announced that catcher Steve Clevenger has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the season. Clevenger was the subject of a great deal of social media controversy yesterday following a pair of offensive, racially charged tweets.
“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,” said GM Jerry Dipoto in the press release announcing the suspension. “Today we have informed him that he is suspended for the reminder of the season without pay.”
Clevenger, 30, was acquired in a lopsided offseason swap that sent Mark Trumbo to the Orioles in what amounted to a salary dump for the Mariners. Clevenger has been on the disabled list since late June to do a fractured hand and has appeared in just 22 games for the Mariners this year, batting .221/.303/.309 in 76 plate appearances. The former Cubs and Orioles backstop is a lifetime .227/.284/.324 hitter in 522 Major League plate appearances. The suspension will cost him about $28,000 — not an insignificant sum for a player that has yet to reach arbitration in his career — and it seems likely that it’s only a matter of time before the Mariners cut ties with him completely.
