Upon appeal, Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Will Smith has had his suspension for using a foreign substance reduced from eight games to six.
Smith will begin serving his suspension Friday when the Brewers open a three-game series in Minnesota. He will miss the series with the Twins and Pirates before becoming eligible to pitch Thursday against Washington.
The reliever had his appeal heard in front of Major League Baseball executives Joe Garagiola, Jr., John McHale and Kasey Sanossian. A member of the players' association and agent Jeff Berry represented Smith.
Manager Craig Counsell and senior director of baseball operations Tom Flanagan were in attendance on behalf of the Brewers.
Major League Baseball heard the appeal of Orioles reliever Brian Matusz on Wednesday. Matusz was also suspended eight games for using a foreign substance during a relief appearance.
Smith was caught with a foreign substance on his right arm and ejected during Milwaukee's 10-1 loss in Atlanta on May 21.
He has not allowed an earned run in the seven innings he's pitched since and carries a 1.83 ERA in 25 appearances this season.
The Brewers have braced for Smith's suspension to begin by carrying eight relievers on the roster. The team is not allowed to replace Smith on the 25-man roster.
Although Milwaukee will play with 24 players over the next six days, it will still have seven pitchers in the bullpen. The blow of playing with a short-handed bench over the next six games is softened a bit by the fact three come in an American League city where the pitcher does not hit, thus eliminating most pinch-hit opportunities.
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