MLB players react to league's new guidance on foreign substances

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Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday that it will crack down on pitchers using foreign substances who are trying to gain an advantage while playing beginning on June 21.

In a press release, MLB said players who are caught using foreign substances will immediately be ejected from the game and receive a 10-game suspension. Umpires will be allowed to check pitchers – even if an opposing manager doesn’t make a request – to make sure they are not manipulating baseballs.

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The league will increase the suspension for repeat offenders and clubs and team staff will also be disciplined for failure to "ensure compliance."

Some MLB players reacted to the news on social media, including St. Louis Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty, who shared his thoughts on Twitter in two separate tweets.

"What are we doing," Flaherty wrote in the first tweet.

In the second tweet, he screenshot a specific part of a story saying that pitchers have been advised not to apply sunscreen during night games after the sun has gone down or when playing in stadiums with closed roofs. Flaherty wrote "lol" and retweeted that brief passage.

Steven Souza Jr., an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was thrilled to see the change.

"Those of you who suddenly found a nasty slider/curveball via Spider tack see ya! Those of you who already had a nasty breaking ball it’ll be fun [to] compete against you again," Souza wrote.

Souza also retweeted MLB Insider Robert Murray, who said he spoke to position players who are not happy that pitchers can no longer use rosin and sunscreen on the mound.

"You need to text more position then, because all the ones I talk to want it out of the game," Souza wrote in response to Murray’s tweet.

The league explained in its release that it has collected a series of complaints from players, pitchers and umpires alike who have said there was a prevalence of foreign substances to enhance the spin rate of baseballs.

"Many baseballs collected have had dark, amber-colored markings that are sticky to the touch. MLB recently completed extensive testing, including testing by third-party researchers, to determine whether the use of foreign substances has a material impact on performance. That research concluded that foreign substances significantly increase the spin rate and movement of the baseball, providing pitchers who use these substances with an unfair competitive advantage over hitters and pitchers who do not use foreign substances, and results in less action on the field," MLB said.

MLB also said the prevalence of increased spin rate has also led to an increase in batters who have been hit by pitches.

MLB TO GIVE 10-GAME SUSPENSIONS OVER DOCTORED BASEBALLS, ISSUE NEW GUIDANCE

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred added a statement on the new guidance.

"After an extensive process of repeated warnings without effect, gathering information from current and former players and others across the sport, two months of comprehensive data collection, listening to our fans and thoughtful deliberation, I have determined that new enforcement of foreign substances is needed to level the playing field," Manfred said.

"I understand there’s a history of foreign substances being used on the ball, but what we are seeing today is objectively far different, with much tackier substances being used more frequently than ever before. It has become clear that the use of foreign substances has generally morphed from trying to get a better grip on the ball into something else – an unfair competitive advantage that is creating a lack of action and an uneven playing field. This is not about any individual player or Club, or placing blame, it is about a collective shift that has changed the game and needs to be addressed. We have a responsibility to our fans and the generational talent competing on the field to eliminate these substances and improve the game."

The new enforcement includes periodic check-ups with starting and relief pitchers. Starting pitchers will have more than one mandatory inspection while relievers will either be checked at the end of games or when they are removed from games. Umpires will be allowed to inspect pitchers at any point.

Pitchers are also responsible if a teammate is found to have doctored a ball.

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"Although the foreign substance prohibitions do not apply exclusively to pitchers, the pitcher ultimately will be responsible for any ball that is delivered with a foreign substance on it," the league said. "If a player other than the pitcher is found to have applied a foreign substance to the baseball (e.g., the catcher applies a foreign substance to the baseball before throwing it back to the pitcher), both the position player and pitcher will be ejected and automatically suspended."

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.