NEW YORK -- On Tuesday, Major League Baseball announced it is cracking down on foreign substances effective Monday.

Players can expect to be ejected from the game and automatically suspended if they use those substances. Suspensions under Rule 3.01, for example, are 10 games. Starting pitchers will have more than one mandatory check per game, and relievers must be checked at the end of the inning during which they entered the game or when they are taken out of the game, whichever comes first. 

Cubs manager David Ross doesn’t have any expectations what might come out of the enhanced enforcement. He said it’s a wait-and-see situation.

“We’ll see how it will be handled. [The league] is doing a nice job of trying figure out what the problem is,” Ross said. “The only thing I can have a grasp on is our guys. I don’t know how it’s going to affect the whole game. We’ll see.” 

“I think [MLB] is doing the right thing by going back to square one. I think they will adjust if they see a big problem of trying to figure out a universal playing field or equal playing field for everybody. They are doing what’s best for the game.”   

Right-hander Zach Davies doesn’t have an idea how the new rules will affect pitchers. 

“I’m not a guy that is big into analytics, spin rates, just because that doesn’t apply to my game,” Davies said. “I don’t know how it will affect some guys. We’ll see when it comes out. They talk about batting average and all that stuff. Who knows if that has an effect. For a lot of places, it’s cold weather. Pitchers have an easier time with their numbers in the beginning of the year compared to hitters. Maybe the full course of the season has an idea of what happens. For now, you have to wait and see."