Keone Kela wasn’t very forthcoming Wednesday on why he was suspended for two days by the Pirates this week. The team also had nothing enlightening to say about the situation.
In announcing the suspension Monday, the Pirates said only that Kela was suspended for a violation of the “uniform player's contract.” However, Yahoo Sports! Tim Brown reported that the suspension stemmed from an altercation with Hector Morales, the team ‘s cultural readiness director/peak performance coach.
Kela met with the media after being reinstated from his suspension and the 60-day injured list prior to Wednesday night’s game with the Cardinals at PNC Park.
When asked about the incident that led to his suspension, Kela said: “What happened? Nothing happened.”
Asked why he was suspended, Kela answered: “I don’t know. I’ve seen as much as you guys have seen on Twitter.”
The Pirates said Monday in a press release they would have no further comment on the matter. Clint Hurdle stuck to that stance Wednesday, declining to answer when I gave him an opportunity to rebut Kela’s assertion that he did not know why he was suspended.
Kela did not seem upset about the suspension, at least on the surface. He calmly sat at his locker and gave relatively short answers to questions.
When asked if he thought the suspension might paint him in a bad light, he responded by saying, “It is what it is. The narrative is the narrative. I know the truth. That’s what matters.”
One thing for certain is that Kela will be uniform and available to pitch in the third game of a four-game series with the Cardinals after being activated from the 60-day injured list. He had been on the IL since May 6 with right shoulder inflammation.
Kela made 14 relief appearances with the Pirates earlier this season, going 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA. He finished a rehab assignment with Class AAA Indianapolis last Friday and was set to be activated Monday before being suspended.
Clay Holmes was placed on the 10-day IL with right triceps inflammation, clearing a 25-man roster for Kela. The Pirates opened a 40-man spot by transferring Francisco Cervelli to the 60-day IL from the seven-day concussion IL.
