Red Sox's Romanski suspended 100 games

While pitchers and catchers get ready to report to Spring Training, one pitcher and one catcher received rough news Thursday.
Red Sox backstop prospect Jake Romanski has been suspended 100 games after testing positive for an amphetamine while free-agent hurler Landon Hughes was given a 68-game ban following a positive test for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, a banned performance-enhancer, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced.

Romanski was a 14th-round pick in the 2013 Draft out of San Diego State. He was named a Red Sox Organization All-Star in 2016 after hitting .308/.338/.410 in 90 games with Double-A Portland and reached Triple-A Pawtucket this past season, playing 15 games at the Minors' highest level after a promotion in August. He was one of four Red Sox catchers to receive non-roster invites to Major League Spring Training camp. The 27-year-old's 100-game ban will begin at the start of the International League season on April 5. He was previously suspended the first 50 games of 2017 following his first positive test for amphetamine.

Hughes was taken by the Braves in seventh round of the 2017 Draft out of Georgia Southern University but signed for only $1,000. The 23-year-old right-hander posted a 1.69 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings at Rookie-level Danville and made one appearance with Class A Rome. Despite that success in his first Minor League campaign, he was released by Atlanta on Jan. 25. As such, his suspension will begin when he signs with another club.
Romanski and Hughes are the 13th and 14th Minor Leaguers to be suspended in 2018.