MLB Bans Yankees Pitcher Jimmy Cordero for Season

Posted on: July 6, 2023, 08:19h. 

Last updated on: July 6, 2023, 09:37h.

New York Yankees reliever Jimmy Cordero will miss the remainder of the season and postseason after MLB issued a 76-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy.

Cordero, 31, is a right-handed relief pitcher from the Dominican Republic. He pitched for three teams, the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Chicago White Sox, prior to the 2020 season, after which, he underwent Tommy John surgery.

Cordero appeared in 31 games, with one start. Only three other relief pitchers appeared in more games than Cordero this season. He has a 3-2 record with a 3.66 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.

Manager Aaron Boone relies heavily on his bullpen and utilized Cordero as a middle-innings reliever. Cordero is second on the Yankees with eight holds. He didn’t allow a run in 23 out of his 31 appearances this season and has held opponents to a .208 batting average.

Few Details Emerge in Cordero Investigation

MLB didn’t provide specifics of its confidential investigation into Cordero. The Yankees were only informed about the investigation last week, and Cordero was vague about the details.

The Yankees are fully supportive of Major League Baseball’s investigative process and the disciplinary action applied to Jimmy Cordero,” MLB said in an official statement. “There is no justification for domestic violence, and we stand with the objectives, standards and enforcement of MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.”

“My biggest thing right now is feeling for the situation and hoping and praying that something good comes out of it and there’s maturity, growth, and healing in whatever is going on,” said Boone.  “As far as the bullpen, I wouldn’t even say that’s secondary. This is real life and a much more serious situation that’s going on.”

Cordero didn’t address the team directly but spoke to a few teammates, including captain Aaron Judge.

There’s still a lot of unknowns,” Judge told The Athletic. “We really don’t know what happened and what the incident is. Hopefully, he learns from this and becomes a better person on the other side.”

In 2020, starting pitcher Domingo German served an 81-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy after he admitted to slapping his girlfriend in 2019. German was also banned for 10 games in May for using a sticky substance before he bounced back with a perfect game.

Futures Market Watch: Yankees in Second Half

The Yankees (46-39) occupy third place in the top-heavy AL East, where all five teams have records above .500. The Bronx Bombers trail the first-place Tampa Bay Rays (57-32) by eight games and trail the second-place Baltimore Orioles by five games. The Yankees have a 1.5-game lead over the fourth-place Toronto Blue Jays and lead the Boston Red Sox by four games.

Only four teams from the American League and just three teams from the National League won more games than the Yankees this season.

If the season ended today, the Yankees would secure the third and final AL wild-card spot.

DraftKings has a popular prop bet where you can wager on teams to make or miss the playoffs. The Yankees are -270 odds to secure a spot in the playoffs, but +220 odds to miss the playoffs. FanGraphs projects the Yankees have a 68.9% chance to advance to the playoffs, with a 62.1% chance to lock up a wild card.

The Rays are the betting favorite to win the AL East at -450 odds while the Yankees are +750 odds to win the division. FanGraphs estimates the Yankees have a 6.8% chance to win the AL East.