Victor Robles just made the absolute wrong move after Mariners suspension

Major League Baseball has decided on its punishment for Victor Robles after he threw his bat at a pitcher during a minor league game on Sunday, and it is harsh: 10 games and an undisclosed fine. And yet, he has made the Quixotic decision not to go down without a fight.

As soon as news of Robles' punishment came down from MLB, so too did the news that he is filing an appeal in hopes of having the suspension reduced. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times posted the necessary details on X:

Robles is entitled to the appeal, and Divish confirms that he can continue his rehab assignment with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers as he works his way back from a left shoulder injury. He has taken 18 plate appearances so far against an original goal of 40-50, hypothetically putting him on track to be activated next week.

Victor Robles got off easy and is now complicating things for the Mariners

For starters, it feels like Robles got off easy.

The situation that unfolded on Sunday was an ugly one, with Robles responding to a high-and-tight fastball that zeroed in on his chest by angrily throwing his bat at the pitcher, Joey Estes of the Las Vegas Aviators. He was immediately ejected by home-plate umpire Joe McCarthy.

As Robles explained in a public apology on Monday, there was a lot that led to his frustration getting the better of him. This was the fifth time he had been thrown at in just five rehab games. He also spoke of the stress of having endured such a long road to recovery after he dislocated and fractured his shoulder in April, and of the emotional toll of having recently lost his mother.

However, this is a case where an explanation is not an excuse.

And compared to when Delmon Young got suspended 50 games for throwing a bat at an umpire during a minor league game in 2006, 10 games feels light for Robles. Some have brought up Manny Machado's bat toss from 2014 — which earned him a mere five-game suspension — as relevant precedent for Robles' situation, but that was different. Machado didn't throw his bat directly at the pitcher like Robles did.

It's therefore hard to fathom Robles' suspension actually getting reduced. And even if it is, you have to think it would only be by a game or two.

In the meantime, there's the question of how long his appeal will drag out.

The ideal scenario for the Mariners is that the process will last into the winter, thus allowing Robles to return and play the rest of the season before serving his suspension (altered or otherwise) in 2026. But this seems unlikely, and the Mariners stand to pay a price if and when Robles begins serving his suspension. Per Divish, they would have to play a man down:

It's unclear whether this is in relation to the 40-man roster or to the 26-man roster. But either way, playing a man down would put the Mariners at a competitive disadvantage at a time when they need all the power they can muster as they try to return to the playoffs.

At this point, the best-case scenario involves Robles returning and beginning his suspension on September 1, when active rosters are due to expand from 26 to 28 players. Even with a man down, the Mariners would still have more depth than is typical. Depending on how quickly MLB hears his appeal, this may yet prove to be the case.

For now, though, Robles has picked a fight he can't win and left the Mariners to pick up the pieces. It amounts to another frustrating moment in what has been a regrettable chapter of his season.