Melky Cabrera will be removed from the batting title race at his request despite leading the league, CSN Bay Area reports.
Cabrera currently leads the National League with a .346 batting average, which is 7 points higher than Andrew McCutchen and 11 points higher than teammate Buster Posey as of Friday. But Cabrera was suspended in August for 50 games after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Cabrera’s suspension resulted in his .346 average being unchanged, leading to a debate about whether he should be eligible to win the title.
An agreement between the MLB players’ union and the league solved the issue.
According to CSN Bay Area, Cabrera’s reps sent a letter to MLB asking for their client to be removed from consideration. They also released a statement on behalf of their client in which Cabrera said he had “no wish to win an award that would be tainted,” and that he “believe[d] it would be far better for someone more deserving to win.”
“I am grateful that the Players Association and MLB were able to honor my request,” Cabrera said in a statement. “I know that changing the rules mid-season can present problems, and I thank the Players Association and MLB for finding a way to grant my request.”
Cabrera’s gesture was believed to be a move intended to rehab his image after his people were caught trying to create a fake website in order to cover up the positive drug test.
