After missing the last 80 games due to a suspension, Dee Gordon is finally making his return to the Miami Marlins.
Per the Marlins' official Twitter account, Gordon was reinstated from the restricted list, and Don Kelly was designated for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster.
Gordon was suspended for 80 games for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy after testing positive for two performance-enhancing substances, exogenous testosterone and Clostebol.
He did appear in 21 games before the suspension, hitting just .266/.289/.340 in 94 at-bats. The 28-year-old was an All-Star the previous two seasons, including leading the National League with a .333 batting average and MLB with 205 hits in 2015.
According to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said on Tuesday that "it will be nice to get Dee back. He’s that guy who helps with that continuity in your lineup.”
Gordon issued an apology to Marlins fans before his return to the team:
He will not be coming back cold, as MLB rules did permit him to go out on rehab assignment before being reinstated. The two-time All-Star hit .257/.278/.343 with two extra-base hits in nine games with Triple-A New Orleans.
The Marlins can use a boost at second base, where their group has hit a collective .267/.339/.356 in 2016, per Baseball-Reference.com.
This has been a surprisingly successful season for the Marlins. They enter play Thursday in the second wild-card spot at 55-46, one game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, who Miami is playing for four games this weekend.
Gordon was struggling before his suspension was handed down, but if he plays up to the standard he set over the past two seasons, it will be like a huge midseason acquisition that can boost the team into the postseason.
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