Bartolo Colon suspended 50 games for testing positive for synthetic testosterone
Oakland A's right-hander Bartolo Colon was suspended for 50 games Wednesday for using synthetic testosterone, the second such high-profile suspension within a week and another sobering reminder that baseball's performance-enhancing drug issues are far from resolved.
Colon, 39, has been Oakland's most consistent starter this season with a 3.43 ERA over 24 starts. It was his best year since he won the Cy Young in 2005 with the Los Angeles Angels and had completed a comeback that saw him miss 2010 and return in 2011 after undergoing a controversial treatment in which his own fat stem cells were injected into his arm.
CBS Sports first reported Colon's suspension.
His use of testosterone is another blow to MLB's attempt to root PEDs out of the game. Following Ryan Braun's positive test – for which he avoided suspension due to chain-of-custody issues – and Melky Cabrera's positive test and suspension last week, the Colon case makes testosterone the culprit in the last three positive tests to involve major league players.
[Big League Stew: Here we go again]
Testosterone is a relatively easy product to consume, either via creams or gels, orally or injected, and disappears from the body quickly, which has made it a favorite among players.
While the loss of Colon is a blow to the A's, their pitching depth has kept them in the hunt for a playoff spot this season. They could add rookie A.J. Griffin or Dan Straily to a rotation that already includes Brandon McCarthy, Tommy Milone, Jarrod Parker and the just-returned Brett Anderson.
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