Reds starter Mike Leake will keep his spot in the rotation while he faces a misdemeanor shoplifting charge, accused of removing the tags from six T-shirts and trying to steal them from a downtown Cincinnati department store.
Manager Dusty Baker decided to keep Leake as his starter for the final game of a series against Arizona on Thursday. "We talked about how he felt and could he handle the pressures of it, and he said yeah," Baker said. "Sometimes when you're in times of trouble, it's easier to go to work than to not go to work.
Leake declined to comment.
At a court hearing Tuesday, Leake's lawyer asked that he enter a diversion program for first-time offenders. If accepted, he would pay a $200 fee, likely perform volunteer work, take a class and acknowledge guilt. Once done, he would have his record cleared.
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