San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky
Cabrera won't be part of the team's postseason plans if the club is still
playing and he is eligible for reinstatement following his suspension for
using performance-enhancing drugs.
Cabrera's 50-game penalty will expire after the Giants' fifth postseason game.
He was suspended in August with 45 games remaining in the regular season after
testing positive for testosterone.
The NL West-champion Giants informed Cabrera of the decision on Thursday.
"While I am disappointed that I won't have the chance to join my team in the
playoffs, I wish my teammates the best in the postseason and I'll be rooting
hard for them to bring another world championship to San Francisco," Cabrera
said Thursday in a statement.
Cabrera was having a career season with a .346 batting average, 11 homers and
60 runs batted in. He was the MVP of the All-Star Game in July and did not
dispute the test results.
In addition to accepting the penalty, Cabrera also withdrew from consideration
for the NL batting title earlier this month. He was one plate appearance shy
of qualifying for the honor and an MLB rule allows for a player to be
recognized as the batting champ if extra hitless at-bats are added to his
average and it remains higher than any qualifying player.
Cabrera's status for next year also remains in question as he is set to become
a free agent.
The Sports Network