Players who resort to performance enhancers in an effort to advance in professional baseball face significant risks. If caught using drugs to boost their chances of moving up through the minor leagues and reaching the majors, they risk having their dreams abruptly ended by a suspension from the Commissioner’s Office.
Rob Manfred’s office issued suspensions to three minor league players on Friday for using drugs that illegally and unethically boost their performance.
Rob Manfred’s office issued suspensions to three minor league players on Friday for using drugs that illegally and unethically boost their performance.
The players suspended include St. Louis Cardinals minor league pitcher Kener Perez, who is on the Dominican Summer League roster. Perez received a 56-game suspension after testing positive for Stanozolol, an early and easily detectable performance enhancer.
San Diego Padres minor league pitcher Ibrahym Jimenez, also on the Dominican Summer League roster, was suspended for 56 games after being caught using Nandrolone, another older and easily detectable drug.
Free agent minor league pitcher Yonathan Frias will face the same 56-game suspension for using Boldenone, a performance enhancer that, along with Stanozolol and Nandrolone, violates the Drug Prevention and Treatment Program for baseball players outside the United States and Canada.
The 19-year-old Perez has a 1-4 record with an 8.31 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP over 13 innings in seven appearances.
Jimenez, 17, has posted better stats than Perez, with a 1-1 record, a 3.60 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP across seven games, including four starts.
The 18-year-old Frias, a 6-0 left-hander, has pitched in 20 games over the past two seasons, but struggles with a 7.39 ERA and a 2.50 WHIP. He has recorded 21 strikeouts in 28 innings.
The 2024 season is effectively over for all three pitchers, but they will have an opportunity to move past these suspensions and continue their careers in the future.
