The Los Angeles Dodgers have suspended one of their top prospects.
Barry Lewis of the Tulsa World has reported that infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena has been suspended for the remainder of the season.
Dodgers suspend @TulsaDrillers SS Erisbel Arruebarrena for rest of season — also did that last May but he returned to play in July
— Barry Lewis (@BarryLewisTW) May 4, 2016
The Dodgers’ SB Nation affiliate, True Blue LA, later quoted team executive Gabe Kapler in saying that the suspension was “for repeated failure to comply with the terms of his contract.”
This is not the first time that Arruebarrena has had issues with the Dodgers organization. He also received a season long suspension in 2015. That suspension was ultimately reduced to 30 days.
Arruebarrena has generally been a productive player within the Los Angeles organization since they signed him from Cuba in 2014.
Unfortunately, he’s appeared only briefly in the majors. If he’s not already considered more trouble than he’s worth by the Dodgers, he has to be close at this point.
One suspension is bad, but it can happen. Two in the span of a calendar year is a real problem, especially when it’s about “repeated failure.”
Arruebarrena played only 53 games for three different affiliates in the Los Angeles organization in 2015, hitting three homers with a solid .299/.337/.418 slash line.
He’s already hit four home runs for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers in 2016, but has otherwise been unproductive, slashing at .182/.224/.400.
If he gets the chance to play with the organization again, Arruebarrena will obviously need to clean his act up off the field, but he’ll certainly have to be much better than that on the field as well.
Los Angeles signed the Cuban to a five-year, $25 million contract with a $7.5 million signing bonus back in 2014. Needless to say, the organization has a lot invested in the young man.