By John Maffei
July 21, 2004

SAN DIEGO--Shortstop Matt Bush, the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft, has had his suspension lifted by the San Diego Padres.

Bush, the hometown kid from San Diego's Mission Bay High, was suspended by the club on June 20 after an incident outside a nightclub near the team's spring-training home in Peoria, Ariz., before he had played a game for the organization.

A felony charge against Bush has been dropped. He could face three misdemeanor charges, but Darrow Soll, Bush's Phoenix-based attorney, said there are no charges pending.

Bush was awarded a $3.15 million bonus by the Padres and had received $150,000 of that money. The Padres, however, wanted to rewrite the deal to include conduct clauses.

Padres president John Moores said he couldn't comment on the specifics of a new agreement, but both sides were pleased an accord had been reached. "I believe in the theory of redemption," Moores said. "Everybody gets a second chance.

"I've had multiple second chances, and I think we ought to give this kid at least one, too. But we expect him to toe the line and be the best baseball player he can be."

Bush has been in Arizona working out, but has not been allowed to play with San Diego's Arizona Rookie League affiliate. He had been watching games from the stands but could make his professional debut as soon as today.