Miguel Olivo released by Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers on Thursday released carnivorous catcher Miguel Olivo, two days after he bit off part of the ear of Triple-A teammate Alex Guerrero in a dugout fracas in Salt Lake City.

Olivo was suspended on Wednesday for an undefined term, though the team said in a statement that the catcher "will remain suspended pending the completion of an investigation into the dugout altercation during yesterday’s game at Salt Lake."

Guerrero and Olivo got into a disagreement on Tuesday against Salt Lake, presumably over a botched tag by Guerrero. The argument continued into the dugout, the conclusion of which resulted in Olivo biting off part of Guerrero's ear. Guerrero could miss as much as five weeks after surgery on his ear.

Olivo, 35, was signed by the Dodgers to a minor league contract on January 17 with a non-roster invitation to spring training. He began the year in Triple-A Albuquerque and in 20 games hit .368/.407/.605 with four home runs, six doubles and 20 runs batted in. He got a nibble of major league action with the Dodgers in May, going 5-for-23 (.217) with a triple in eight games.

Through advanced consensual agreement when he was called up by the Dodgers, Olivo was optioned back to Triple-A on May 14.

Olivo is now a free agent, but it's unclear what kind of market there is for a teammate-biting, soon-to-be 36-year-old catcher who burned bridges in his last two stops. Olivo walked out on the Marlins in 2013, frustrated over a lack of playing time as the backup catcher, and was placed on the restricted list before getting released.

Olivo's contract called for him to make a pro-rated share of $800,000 while in the majors and $110,000 in the minors, per the Associated Press. Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten wouldn't say whether the team would ow Olivo the remainder of his salary after released, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.