KANSAS CITY -- Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales dropped the appeal of his one-game suspension, which was handed down by Major League Baseball last week, and served it during Thursday night's 2-1 win over the White Sox. Morales was disciplined after returning to the field on Aug. 2 against Tampa Bay after being ejected in the ninth inning.
"I think the league was anxious about getting this thing out of the way. They wanted to set a date and it's like, let's just do it," manager Ned Yost said.
Yost said a number of factors went into the timing of the decision. He said that given the hot weather the team had played in the last few days, as well as a 14-inning walk-off win the night before, there was a chance to give several guys off-days in addition to Morales' absence.
Yost added that with the pitching matchup against right-hander Miguel González on Thursday, it made the most sense for Morales to just sit out the game and move on.
"You don't ever pick a good day to lose him," Yost said, "But you look at the matchup number, he's 1-for-10 off of Gonzalez. So let's just do it now, have him ready to go in Minnesota."
Morales will be eligible to return to action for Friday's series opener against the Twins at Target Field.