Jeff Samardzija drops appeal

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija dropped the appeal of his five-game suspension Wednesday and will begin serving the punishment immediately.

Samardzija was suspended for his role in an April 23 on-field brawl with the Kansas City Royals. Teammate Chris Sale was also suspended five games, but his punishment is still under appeal and the left-hander will pitch Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers. Both players also were fined an undisclosed amount.

A total of six players were suspended because of the incident. The four Royals players receiving suspensions were Yordano Ventura (seven games), Edinson Volquez (five games) and Lorenzo Cain and Kelvin Herrera (two games each). In addition, White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers was fined an undisclosed amount.

Samardzija, who picked up the victory Tuesday night over the Detroit Tigers, will be eligible to pitch again Monday when the White Sox open a three-game series at Milwaukee. Sale is expected to follow Samardzija's lead and drop his appeal Thursday.