Orelvis Martinez Receives 80-Recreation Suspension Following Constructive PED Take a look at

The MLB commissioner’s workplace introduced this morning that Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez has obtained an 80-game suspension with out pay after testing optimistic for Clomiphene, a banned efficiency enhancing substance. The suspension is efficient instantly. Martinez has since been positioned on the restricted listing, and the Blue Jays have chosen the contract of outfielder Steward Berroa to interchange the infielder on the energetic and 40-man rosters.

“The Blue Jays totally help Main League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Remedy Program, and strongly consider in conserving the sport on a stage taking part in discipline,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins mentioned in a press release this morning. “We had been each stunned and dissatisfied to listen to of Orelvis Martinez’s suspension. We’ll do the whole lot in our energy to make sure Orelvis has realized from this error. Orelvis has our help, and we all know he’ll get by way of this.”

Martinez launched a press release of his personal through the MLB Players Association:

“For the previous two years, I’ve been attempting to begin a household with my girlfriend. Through the offseason, we visited a fertility clinic within the Dominican Republic and after getting lab work completed, we had been prescribed a remedy, which included a medicine referred to as Rejun 50. Sadly, Rejun 50 incorporates a banned substance referred to as Clomiphene.

We needed to maintain this matter non-public, even inside our household, and trusted the physician who assured us this remedy didn’t embrace efficiency enhancing medication. Subsequently, I made the error of not disclosing this to my staff or the MLBPA. With that mentioned, I took full duty for my actions and accepted my suspension.

I need to apologize to my teammates in each Buffalo and Toronto, the Blue Jays group, and most significantly, the followers who’ve supported me throughout my profession. I’ll be taught from this expertise and are available again to the sphere in September.”

The information is a significant blow to the Blue Jays, who recalled Martinez for his large league debut just this past week to affix the membership’s infield combine after shortstop Bo Bichette hit the injured listing with a calf pressure. Martinez has only one recreation below his belt within the majors to date, having gone 1-for-3 with a strikeout whereas taking part in second base in his large league debut on Friday. Whereas Martinez’s large league profession had solely simply begun, he’s lengthy been thought of a consensus top-100 prospect within the sport and was within the midst of a superb displaying at Triple-A this yr when he obtained the decision to the majors. In 63 video games for the membership’s Buffalo affiliate this yr, Martinez slashed .260/.343/.523 whereas taking part in each second and third base.

Now, Martinez’s large league profession is on maintain simply days after it first started. The earliest he’ll be capable of return to play within the large leagues is September 23 in opposition to the Pink Sox, though given the truth that Martinez can be ineligible to take part within the postseason as a result of his suspension and that date touchdown simply six video games earlier than the tip of the common season, it wouldn’t be a shock if Martinez didn’t find yourself returning to the majors till the 2025 marketing campaign.

Luckily for the Blue Jays, the membership has loads of choices at its disposal to fill out the membership’s infield combine whereas Bichette is injured, even with out Martinez. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has stepped into the on a regular basis position at shortstop since Bichette hit the shelf final week, and the membership figures to combine and match between Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, and Spencer Horwitz at second and third base whereas Bichette is away. The addition of Berroa to the roster combine ought to enable Schneider to combine into the infield extra often than he has in current weeks, as he’s break up time between the keystone and left discipline thus far within the season.

As for Berroa, the 25-year-old made his professional debut with the Jays again in 2017 and has labored his approach by way of the membership’s minor league system since then, finally reaching Triple-A late final yr. He struggled in that preliminary cup of espresso however has hit pretty effectively in 62 video games on the highest stage of the minors this season with a .295/.380/.451 slash line throughout 222 journeys to the plate. Berroa figures to issue into the membership’s outfield combine behind regulars Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier, and George Springer alongside Schneider.