A's Colon suspended 50 games
Oakland Athletics' right-handed pitcher Bartolo Colon has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for testosterone.
Major League Baseball announced the suspension Wednesday for the 39-year-old Colon, who was in the midst of a rebound season with a 10-9 record and 3.43 ERA for the wild-card contender.
"I apologize to the fans, to my teammates and to the Oakland A's. I accept responsibility for my actions and I will serve my suspension as required by the Joint Drug Program," Colon said in a statement released through the MLBPA.
Colon did not pitch in 2010 but he underwent stem-cell treatment on his pitching shoulder and elbow and returned to make 26 starts with the New York Yankees last season. Colon was 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA.
The team issued a release shortly after the announcement from MLB officials.
"The Oakland Athletics are disappointed to learn of today's suspension of pitcher Bartolo Colon. The organization fully supports Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and its efforts to eliminate performance-enhancing substances from our game. Per the Basic Agreement, the A's will have no further comment."
Colon's suspension was the second 50-game ban handed down by baseball in the past week. Giants' All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera was suspended 50 games for testing positive for testosterone last week.
The A's entered Wednesday afternoon's game with the Twins just a half-game out of the final wild-card spot and five games behind Texas in the American League West.
Colon, scheduled to start Thursday at Tampa, is the elder statesman of the A's mostly young pitching staff and he has enjoyed a season that has been quite good much of the time - going 10-9 with a 3.43 ERA.
In four of his five previous outings, Colon had allowed no more than one run, helping the A's remain in contention for a playoff spot.
The suspension left the A's scrambling for pitching despite their depth. Dan Straily, the team's top prospect, was sent down on Monday to make roster space for Brett Anderson and he cannot return for 10 days except in the event of an injury that requires a DL stint.
For now, the A's will recall right-hander Tyson Ross, who has had several stints with Oakland the past few seasons.
Colon recently became the third pitcher in Oakland history to record double-digit wins after the age of 35.
Colon signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Athletics, his seventh Major League team -- he had two stints with the Chicago White Sox -- since entering the league with the Cleveland Indians in 1997. Cleveland signed him as a free agent in 1993 out of the Dominican Republic.
He has a career record of 171-122 and a 4.05 ERA.
