Matt Kemp Suspended 1 Game After Collision with Rangers' Robinson Chirinos

Two weeks after being involved in a benches-clearing altercation, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp will serve his one-game suspension. 

Kemp initially appealed his ban, but the team announced Wednesday that he will sit out the team's contest against the Chicago Cubs. Joc Pederson will start in left in Kemp's place.

Major League Baseball suspended Kemp and Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos for their roles in that June 13 incident, which was sparked by a home-plate collision:

Afterward, Kemp revealed, via ESPN.com, that he barreled over the catcher to try to avoid injury and described the situation as "two guys shoving each other, and it's over."

The 13-year veteran also admitted he doesn't have a clear grasp of the "Buster Posey rule":

"I think it's unclear to everybody. He was blocking the plate. I don't know the rule. I don't even know how it works. I didn't have a clear path to slide. All I could really think about when I saw him blocking the plate was Washington when I slid into home and messed up my ankle. I didn't want to do that again."

Kemp was acquired last offseason from the Atlanta Braves in a swap of bad contracts. Although it wasn't clear if his second stint in Los Angeles would make it to the regular season, the 33-year-old has rewarded the Dodgers for sticking with him.

He is hitting .311/.351/.539 with 13 home runs, 16 doubles and 47 RBI. He has also been at his best with the pressure on, hitting .369 with runners on and .400 with runners in scoring position.

However, he has struggled since his collision with Chirinos. He is hitting just .156 with three home runs and six RBI (all via the long ball) in his last 11 games.

Kemp will now sit out a game, giving himself a chance to get some rest as he looks to get back on track.