Aro, Delabar, Fernandez suspended by MLB
Veteran right-handers Jonathan Aro and Steve Delabar were suspended on Monday along with free agent pitcher Jeffry Fernandez after each violated Minor League Baseball's drug program.The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Aro received a 50-game suspension and Delabar and Fernandez both were given 80-game bans following their violations of the Minor League
Veteran right-handers
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Aro received a 50-game suspension and Delabar and Fernandez both were given 80-game bans following their violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Aro, 26, has not played yet this season but is listed with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. Major League Baseball did not specify what his violation was.
The reliever made his Major League debut in June 2015 and went 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 24 outings last year at Tacoma before playing in one Major League game with Seattle. He was originally signed by Boston in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic.
Minor League drug suspensions in 2017
Delabar, 33, tested positive for Ostarine, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the program, according to MLB. Ostarine, also known as Enobosarm, is considered a "selective androgen receptor modulator," or SARM, which was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2008. It's used in the treatment of muscle wasting and osteoporosis, and several professional athletes have been linked to it, including former IBF super-middleweight boxing champion Lucian Bute and UFC fighters Tim Means and Tom Lawlor.
Delabar, on the roster of Triple-A Columbus, hasn't pitched yet this season. He went 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA in 17 relief outings for Triple-A Louisville in the Reds system last year while owning a 6.75 ERA in seven Major League games. He's appeared in 228 career Minor League games since debuting in 2004.
Fernandez received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the program. His suspension will be effective immediately upon his signing with another Major League organization.
The 24-year-old signed with Boston in 2011 and went 8-18 with a 4.87 ERA in 89 games before the Red Sox released him on March 28. He spent last season with Class A Greenville and Class A Advanced Salem, going 4-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 37 outings.
Stanozolol is a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone that is sometimes prescribed by veterinarians to encourage muscle growth, red blood cell production, bone density and to stimulate the appetite of weakened animals.
Major League Baseball has suspended 29 players this year for violations of the Minor League drug program.
Danny Wild is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow his MLBlog column, Minoring in Twitter.