Three players suspended for Yankees-Rays brawl

New York Yankees center fielder Melky Cabrera and first baseman Shelley Duncan were suspended for three games each for their roles during Wednesday’s spring-training brawl between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tampa Bay outfielder Jonny Gomes was suspended for two games. All three players were fined along with Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, third base coach Bobby Meacham and hitting coach Kevin Long.

The suspensions, unless appealed, will start at the beginning of the regular season.

Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president for discipline, cited Duncan for “violent and reckless actions, which incited the bench-clearing incident,” and penalized Cabrera for “violent and aggressive actions during the incident.”

Gomes was suspended for “violent actions, which escalated” the situation.

Benches cleared during the second inning of the game, after Duncan’s spikes-high slide into second base. Gomes rushed in from right field and barreled into Duncan.

The incident occurred four days after Girardi complained about Tampa Bay’s aggressive play after a collision at the plate that injured Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli.

Toronto closer B.J. Ryan pitched in a game for the first time since having Tommy John surgery in May, increasing optimism among the Blue Jays that he might be ready for opening day.

Ryan, who last appeared in a game on April 14, struck out two of the three batters he faced Friday in the first inning of an 8-4 loss to Tampa Bay.

Washington Nationals outfielder Wily Mo Pena will be sidelined about four weeks because of a tear in his left oblique muscle. An MRI exam revealed a significant tear. Pena, who suffered the injury Wednesday during batting practice, was projected to be the starting left fielder for the Nationals. . . . Houston Astros second baseman Kazuo Matsui will undergo surgery Monday for a digestive-tract disorder. Expected recovery time is two weeks. . . . Kyle Lohse passed a physical and threw a side session with pitching coach Dave Duncan watching before the right-hander finalized a one-year, $4.25-million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.