Yankees' Cordero suspended for rest of season

New York Yankees reliever Jimmy Cordero was suspended for the remainder of the 2023 season for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.

The league’s policy, negotiated with the MLB Players Association, does not mandate suspensions of a particular length. Cordero’s 76-game ban, which he agreed to, is among the longest the league has given, behind Trevor Bauer (324 games, reduced on appeal to 194), Sam Dyson (162), Jose Torres (100), Hector Olivera (82) and his Yankees teammate Domingo German (81).

When suspending players under the policy, MLB does not announce what it investigated or found during the process.

In a statement, the team said: “The Yankees are fully supportive of Major League Baseball’s investigative process and the disciplinary action applied to Jimmy Cordero. 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.”

Cordero, 31, had emerged as a vital part of the Yankees’ bullpen after not pitching in the majors since 2020. New York’s relief corps has allowed the team to remain relevant amid an offensive slump since Aaron Judge hit the injured list June 7 with a torn ligament in his right big toe.

Yankees relievers have a 2.82 ERA, the best in the major leagues, and have allowed the fewest home runs while generating the highest ground-ball rate.

With a fastball that sits above 97 mph and a slider to complement it, Cordero, who spent past seasons with the Nationals, Blue Jays and White Sox, emerged as a viable middle-innings reliever for manager Aaron Boone, not allowing a run in 23 of his 31 appearances. Cordero signed with the team in 2022 and spent that season in the minor leagues before posting a 3.86 ERA in 32⅔ innings this season.