Orelvis Martínez, the top non-pitching prospect in the Toronto Blue Jay organization, was nabbed for performance-enhancing substances just two days after he made his Major League debut.
On Sunday, MLB declared that Martínez will serve an 80-game suspension without pay due to a positive test result for Clomiphene, a drug frequently administered to women experiencing ovulation difficulties. Because clomiphene is on the prohibited list, it is against MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
The suspension takes action right away.
In a statement issued on Sunday on Martínez’s behalf, the Major League Baseball Players Association stated that he had been attempting to conceive with his partner for the previous two years and that in a Dominican Republic fertility clinic, he was given a prescription for a drug known as Rejun 50.
“We wanted to keep this matter private, even within our family, and trusted the doctor who assured us this treatment did not include performance-enhancing drugs,” Martinez stated in the statement. I therefore erred in not telling my team or the MLBPA about this.
“With that said, I took full responsibility for my negligence and accepted my suspension.”
Along with his apology to the team and supporters, Martínez stated he will be back on the field in September.
The only player in the Blue Jays organization ranked higher than Martínez, 22, is pitcher Ricky Tiedemann (No. 38). Martínez is 22 years old. In a 7-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, he made his Major League debut and went 1-for-3 with his first career hit.
The sixth inning began with a soft line drive that traveled 83 mph on a breaking ball over the shortstop. Following the game, Martínez posed for pictures with his family members who had come, as well as fellow Dominican baseball player José Ramírez, who plays third base for the Guardians.
With a calf strain, shortstop Bo Bichette was placed on the 10-day injured list, and Martínez was called up to the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
General manager Ross Atkins stated in a statement on Sunday that “the Blue Jays fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, and strongly believe in keeping the game on a level playing field.” “When we heard that Orelvis Martínez had been suspended, we were taken aback as well as unhappy. We’ll do every effort to make sure Orelvis has taken this error as a lesson. We are rooting for Elvis, and we are confident he will overcome this.”
Martínez, Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate, hit.260 in 63 games with the Buffalo Bisons, with 16 home runs and 46 RBIs.
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