Nate Eaton’s suspension reduction may have done more than trim a few games off his punishment. It could also be a clue that Willson Contreras has a better shot at a shorter ban, too.
On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox announced, as reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, that Eaton’s suspension had been cut from three games to two by Major League Baseball. That punishment came out of last week’s dust-up between the Red Sox and Washington Nationals, a confrontation driven mainly by Contreras and pitcher Cade Cavalli.
Cavalli’s situation has already shifted. His suspension was reduced from seven games to five on Monday. Eaton’s appeal now landing at two games leaves Contreras as the next big question.
During Tuesday’s game, Red Sox broadcasters Dave O'Brien and Lou Merloni floated the idea that Contreras’ suspension could be knocked all the way down to four games. Their thinking centered on the fact that Cavalli started the incident last Tuesday by yelling at Contreras and calling him "boy," something Cavalli himself admitted could have been taken as offensive to Contreras' identity as a minority in the U.S.
Still, Contreras also threw his helmet at Cavalli, and the player whose actions were most violent in a skirmish is usually the one who gets the biggest suspension. There’s also the matter of everything Contreras was carrying emotionally last week, and still is, in the wake of last month’s devastating earthquakes in his native Venezuela.
For Boston, the timing matters. If Contreras’ appeal lasts one more day, the Red Sox won’t have to play without both him and Eaton, which at least keeps the roster from getting even thinner. On Tuesday, the bench was already a man short, and a two-man bench would be a rough way to get through a game.
That’s especially true because Contreras has been by far the Red Sox’s best position player this season. Losing him before the All-Star break would sting. Losing him for games after the break would be another hit for a Boston club trying by any means necessary to stay in the playoff race.
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