Contreras, Cavalli get 7-game bans after Red Sox-Nationals brawl

Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras and Washington Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli both received seven-game suspensions for their roles in Tuesday's benches-clearing fracas, MLB announced Thursday.

Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas also got a five-game ban and Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton was handed a three-game suspension. All punishments will start Friday unless the players appeal.

Cavalli yelled, "Sit down, boy" after striking Contreras out in the fourth inning of the Nationals' 8-1 win. Contreras got into a heated exchange with Cavalli and later threw his helmet at the pitcher during the heated scrum. Contreras was ejected, but Cavalli stayed in the game. He ultimately allowed one run on one hit with 13 strikeouts over seven innings.

Part of Contreras' suspension related to the three-time All-Star violating the league's social media policy by posting on Instagram during the game, a source told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

The 34-year-old told a fan who was taunting the player online to "come meet me at Fenway."

Meanwhile, Cavalli apologized Wednesday for his remark, saying he didn't mean to evoke the racist history of the term "boy" in the United States.

"I'm extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived," the 27-year-old said. "Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that."