Pirates' Keone Kela reportedly suspended because of altercation with team employee | TribLIVE.com
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Pirates' Keone Kela reportedly suspended because of altercation with team employee

Jerry DiPaola
| Wednesday, July 24, 2019 7:20 a.m.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Pirates reliever Keone Kela watches batting practice before a game against the Cubs at PNC Park.

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Keone Kela was suspended as a result of an altercation in the clubhouse with a team employee, Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday night.

According to sources, Pirates reliever Keone Kela was suspended by the club due to an altercation with Hector Morales, team’s director, cultural readiness and peak performance coach.

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 24, 2019

Tim Brown reported that the employee is peak performance coach Hector Morales, who is also the Pirates’ director of cultural readiness. Morales, 52, is a retired U.S. Army office and a former coach of the West Point judo team. His duties with the Pirates includes coordinating programs for international players, “helping their assessment, education, transition, integration and performance,” according to a team publication.

Kela, 26, was suspended for the first two games of the St. Louis Cardinals series Monday and Tuesday. He will rejoin the team for Wednesday’s game at PNC Park, according to manager Clint Hurdle.

Kela, who was acquired last year in a trade with the Texas Rangers, had been on the injured list since May 8 with shoulder inflammation.


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