Oakland Athletics broadcaster Glen Kuiper has been suspended after uttering what sounded like a racial slur while describing a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

NBC Sports California said in a statement Saturday that Kuiper will remain off the air until a review of what happened during Friday night’s broadcast is completed.

In a pregame segment on NBC Sports California before the A’s played the Kansas City Royals on Friday night, Kuiper talked about a trip to the museum with colleague Dallas Braden but seemingly mispronounced the word “negro,” making it sound instead like a slur.

Later in the game, Kuiper apologized on the air without getting into specifics, saying he said something that “didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to.”

“I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said,” Kuiper said Saturday in a statement released by NBC Sports California. “I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies.”

Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, issued a statement about Kuiper on Twitter on Saturday.

“I’m aware of the unfortunate slur made by Glen Kuiper,” Kendrick said. “I welcomed Glen to the NLBM yesterday and know he was genuinely excited to be here. The word is painful and has no place in our society. And while I don’t pretend to know Glen’s heart I do know that my heart is one of forgiveness. I hope all of you will find it in yourselves to do the same!”

The A’s later issued a statement Friday night, calling the language used by Kuiper “unacceptable.”

Kuiper has been calling A’s games in the Bay Area for about 20 years. He is the younger brother of former major leaguer and Giants announcer Duane Kuiper.

Radio announcers Johnny Doskow and Vince Controneo will rotate as play-by-play announcers during Kuiper’s absence.

Judge back Thursday?

ST. PETERBURG, Fla. >> New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects slugger Aaron Judge will return from a right hip strain for Tuesday night’s game against the Oakland Athletics.

Judge worked out Saturday at the team’s minor league complex in Tampa, Fla., about 30 minutes from where the Yankees were playing the Rays.

“I think he’s doing really well,” Boone said before playing the Rays. “I think we’re going to be in a good spot come Tuesday to where he’s done everything for several days.”

“That was the calculus in this weekend,” Boone added. “It’s like, do we want to push him back out there if he’s 85, 90%. I wasn’t comfortable doing that just because I don’t want a strain to turn into a bad situation where we’re talking six, eight weeks.”

Judge hasn’t played since April 27 and missed his eighth games Saturday. The injury-depleted Yankees started Saturday with a 17-16 record and trailed the major league-best Rays by 10 games in the AL East.

Astros lose Garcia

SEATTLE >> Houston starter Luis García needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the season, another major blow to the Astros’ rotation.

The defending World Series champions announced García’s status before Friday night’s game in Seattle. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list this week. He left Monday’s start against the San Francisco Giants after eight pitches with elbow discomfort.

“That’s a tremendous blow. I mean, I was praying that it was something different, something minor,” manager Dusty Baker said after Houston’s 6-4 win. “You’re always afraid of that when it’s in the elbow.”

García’s injury came the same day fellow right-hander Jose Urquidy was placed on the IL with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. A date for García’s surgery had not been set.

Guerrero scratched

PITTSBURGH >> Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a late scratch from the lineup on Saturday because of left wrist discomfort prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It marked just the fourth time Guerrero has missed a game since the start of the 2020 season. On Friday night, Guerrero went 1 for 4 with an RBI single in the Blue Jays’ 4-0 victory over the Pirates.

The two-time All-Star is hitting .318 with seven home runs in 33 games this season.

Guerrero was scheduled to be the designated hitter on Saturday.

Briefly

>> Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez, who became a sensation last season for playing the “SpongeBob SquarePants” theme song for his walk-up music, was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday to get more playing time.

>> Signed as Yadier Molina’s replacement, Willson Contreras won’t be spending much time behind the plate during the next few weeks. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said before Saturday’s 6-5, 10-inning loss to Detroit that Contreras will be primarily a designated hitter and Andrew Knizner will get most of the time at catcher.