Eric Gagne Faces Two Game Suspension for "Jockeying".

It's been a trying year for Eric Gagne. First, he injured his knee. Then he injured his elbow while favoring the knee. Now, after a month of rehab, he'll have to wait a little bit longer.

We all remember how Gagne got himself ejected on Opening Day for heckling an umpire from the dugout. Seems like getting ejected for arguing balls and strikes is the thing to do lately... Everybody's getting into the act!

However, it seems like while ACTIVE players just get a one-way ticket to the clubhouse for arguing, the punishment for players on the DL is a little more stringent. MLB has suspended Gagne for two games, starting from his activation from the DL, and fined him an undisclosed amount.

The precedent for the punishment: MLB Rule 3.17 states that a player on the DL is "permitted to participate in pre-game activity and sit on the bench during a game but may not take part in any activity during the game such as warming up a pitcher, bench jockeying, etc."

Gagne was clearly not caught warming up a pitcher, which means that he must have been suspended for "bench jockeying".

While it may be true that the term "bench jockeying" is hilariously antiquated (why not suspend him for tomfoolery or shenanigans?), it's equally clear that "bench jockeying" is no laughing matter. Especially because Gagne, at 6'2" and 235 lbs, is far too large to be a jockey of any sort.

Gagne will throw in back-to-back bullpen sessions on Friday and Saturday. If all goes well, he'll face live hitters, and will then presumably be activated from the DL two games before he's ready, just to stick it to the man.