Blue Jays' first-round pick suspended 50 games
Pitcher Marcus Stroman, the Toronto Blue Jays' first-round pick in the 2012 draft, has been suspended for 50 games for use of a banned substance, MLB.com reported.
The right-handed Stroman was the No. 22 overall pick out of Duke and signed for $1.8 million.
But he was suspended under Major League Baseball's substance abuse program because he tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a stimulant.
Stroman, 21, played for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Class A Vancouver Canadians this year. He is 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA in 19 1/3 innings of relief work between the two teams.
"Despite taking precautions to avoid violating the Minor League testing program, I unknowingly ingested a banned stimulant that was in an over-the-counter supplement," Stroman said in the statement released by the club. "Nonetheless, I accept full responsibility and I want to apologize to the Toronto Blue Jays organization, my family, my teammates, and the Blue Jays fans everywhere. I look forward to putting this behind me and rejoining my teammates."
Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in a statement, "This suspension is unfortunate and we are disappointed by this development. The Toronto Blue Jays, however, fully endorse the Major League Baseball's drug testing policy and support the discipline taken today."
