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Report: MLB to suspend players 10 days for foreign-substance violation

Adam Hunger / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Major League Baseball plans to issue 10-day suspensions - with pay - to any player caught using foreign substances during play, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.

An announcement is expected Tuesday, and the league will distribute a memo to teams outlining its plans to combat sticky substances used to enhance grip and spin rate on pitches, Passan notes.

The new measures will officially begin June 21, sources told Passan.

The forbidden substances include, but aren't exclusive to, Spider Tack, rosin combined with sunscreen, and pine tar.

Teams are apparently preparing for the added scrutiny by getting pitchers who typically rely on substances to throw bullpen sessions without using any.

MLB has been gearing up for a crackdown on sticky substances in recent months and has been gathering data all season through the confiscation of baseballs during games. No player has been suspended for the use of foreign substances this year.

Since the league announced it was planning to initiate stronger enforcement on the use of foreign substances, several pitchers have exhibited reduced spin rates on their various pitches.

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