Thursday, Mariners backup catcher Steve Clevenger made some inflammatory comments on Twitter (the NSFW screen-grabs are here and here). The team immediately released a statement saying that it strongly disagrees with the "language and tone" of Clevenger's comments.
Friday, the club took further action:
The #Mariners have announced that catcher Steve Clevenger has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the season.
— MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) September 23, 2016
Per Major League Baseball's social media policy, that was implemented in 2012, players are prohibited from putting forth social media content that is "derogatory or insensitive to individuals based on race, color, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or religion, including, but not limited to, slurs, jokes, stereotypes or other inappropriate remarks."
Clevenger, 30, is a career .227/.284/.324 hitter and has been below average at throwing out would-be basestealers. He's only appeared in 22 games this season. Given his lackluster career numbers, these comments are probably career-threatening.
