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MLB suspends former All-Star pitcher Matt Harvey 60 games for drug distribution

Steve Gardner, USA TODAY
·1 min read

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Matt Harvey has been suspended 60 games without pay for violating MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, the league announced Tuesday.

Harvey admitted he and former Los Angeles Angels teammate Tyler Skaggs provided each other with drugs during the February trial of former Angels communications director Eric Kay, who was found guilty of supplying a fentanyl-laced opioid to that resulted in Skaggs' death in 2019.

The former All-Star with the New York Mets was given immunity from criminal prosecution for his testimony in the trial. However, the deal did not preclude MLB from taking action against him.

Harvey's suspension for "participating in the distribution of a prohibited Drug of Abuse" is retroactive to April 29.

Matt Harvey pitches for the Orioles in an August 2021 game against the Braves. He had a 6.27 ERA in 28 starts last season.
Matt Harvey pitches for the Orioles in an August 2021 game against the Braves. He had a 6.27 ERA in 28 starts last season.

At the Kay trial, Harvey admitted using cocaine with both the Mets and Angels, and he testified he’d asked Skaggs about oxycodone during spring training in 2019.

Harvey, 33, pitched last season for the Orioles and re-signed with the team in April as a minor league free agent. He has since been working out at the team's extended spring training facility in Sarasota, Florida.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matt Harvey suspended 60 games for drug distribution by MLB