Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will not be fined for tampering in relation to his comments surrounding Edwin Encarnacion at this year’s all-star game, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported on Tuesday.
Ortiz created some controversy in San Diego last month when he suggested the Toronto Blue Jays slugger, a pending free agent, would be a logical replacement at designated hitter in Boston once the Red Sox legend retires after the 2016 season.
“The Red Sox know that they need to reinforce the middle of the lineup,” Ortiz said in a press conference on July 12. “And sorry Blue Jays, but who better than Encarnacion to do that?”
The 40-year-old Ortiz reportedly, according to the MLB Network, received a letter from the commissioner’s office that warned him not to violate the league’s tampering rules.
Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair first reported that MLB was looking into Ortiz’s comments and whether his lobbying was a violation of the league’s tampering rules.
MLB’s tampering rule states: “There shall be no negotiations or dealings respecting employment, either present or prospective, between any player, coach or manager and any major or minor league club other than the club with which the player is under contract, or acceptance of terms, or by which the player is reserved or which has the player on its negotiation list.”
Ortiz, who told reporters at the all-star game in San Diego that he did not expect to be punished, leads the Red Sox with 27 home runs entering Tuesday’s action while Encarnacion ranks second in the American League with 33 home runs in 440 at-bats.
