Philadelphia Phillies player Jose Alvarado will be off the baseball field for the foreseeable future after he was allegedly caught violating the MLB’s drug policy.
Alvarado was immediately suspended for 80 games after he tested positive for exogenous testosterone, a performance-enhancing substance, ESPN reported on Sunday, May 18.
The team’s president Dave Dombrowski told the outlet the positive test was the result of a weight loss drug Alvarado took during the offseason. “It’s not something he did knowingly,” Dombrowski said. “I believe that, the way he talked to me.”
“We’ve got to move on,” the team’s manager Rob Thomson also said. “It’s too bad, but we’ve got to move on. We have really good pieces here that can pick up the slack.”
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If the season continues as expected, Alvarado will be allowed to return for the Phillies’ August 19 game against the Seattle Mariners. He will lose half of his $9 million salary.
The league has certainly endured its fair share of scandals throughout the years, including everything from substance abuse to gambling problems. In 2013, 20 players were accused of using human growth hormone (HGH) obtained from the Biogenesis of America clinic in Florida after a former employee of the clinic linked the athletes to the drug. Fourteen players were ultimately tied to the claim.
Tony Bosch, the clinic’s owner, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute testosterone in October 2014. However, USA Today reported at the time that it was not specified if the charges were related to the MLB scandal. He was sentenced to four years in prison.
During a 2020 interview on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, pitcher Trevor Bauer said he believed approximately 70 percent of pitchers in the league were using Spider Tack, a resin-based substance used to improve grip on the baseball. By June 2021, the league determined that pitchers who were found using illegal substances during games would be ejected from the game and subsequently receive a 10-game suspension.
And last year the translator for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was fired after he was accused of stealing millions from the athlete to pay off his own gambling debts. A criminal complaint alleged that Ippei Mizuhara would wire money into the account of someone who went by the name of “Associate 1.”
Months later, ESPN reported that “Associate 1” was Real Housewives of Orange County star Jennifer Pedranti’s fiancé, Ryan Boyajian, who has not been charged in relation to the allegations.
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