Pittsburgh Pirates starter Chris Archer said Sunday he has dropped his appeal of his five-game suspension, but with the way the schedule falls, he shouldn’t miss his turn in the rotation.
Archer was among three people suspended for their participation in a brawl between the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds on April 7. MLB issued suspensions for Archer, Reds manager David Bell and outfielder Yasiel Puig on Tuesday.
Archer will begin serving his suspension Sunday. The right-hander started Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals, and because the Pirates have two days off next week, he isn’t scheduled to pitch until next Sunday at home against San Francisco.
On the season, the 30-year-old is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts. He has 24 strikeouts in 18 innings.
