Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah has dropped his appeal of a five-game suspension, the team announced Saturday, according to Sportsnet's Hazel Mae.
Manoah began serving the ban Saturday. He's eligible to return July 2 when the Blue Jays host the Tampa Bay Rays in Buffalo. Because Toronto has an off day during the suspension, he likely won't miss his turn in the rotation.
Manoah received the suspension for intentionally throwing at Baltimore Orioles third baseman Maikel Franco last week. The hit-by-pitch came after Manoah allowed back-to-back home runs; it triggered a brief benches-clearing incident between the rivals, though no punches were thrown.
The 23-year-old denied any intent behind the pitch and started Friday against the Orioles while appealing the ban. He allowed one unearned run in six innings of work, and there were no further incidents between the clubs.
Manoah owns a 3.34 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 33 strikeouts through his first six major-league starts.
