Justin Verlander won’t bother waiting for Robinson Cano’s next move.
The Houston Astros pitcher appeared to throw shade at the Seattle Mariners second baseman Tuesday after Major League Baseball suspended Cano for 80 games for violating its drug policy. While Verlander didn’t call out Cano by name in this Twitter broadside, the timing of the right-hander’s message makes its target obvious.
Cano, who tested positive for the diuretic Furosemide, released a statement Tuesday in which he not only accepted his suspension but also insisted he didn’t know he was taking a banned substance.
The 35-year-old fractured a bone in his right hand Sunday when he was hit by a pitch in Seattle’s loss to the Detroit Tigers. He had been hitting .287 with four home runs and 23 RBIs through 39 games before his injury and subsequent suspension.
Cano’s suspension runs until mid-August, but we probably shouldn’t expect Verlander’s skepticism to diminish by then.
