Angels' Bates suspended 50 games

Nathan Bates has only pitched in one game this season, and it'll be a while before he returns to a Minor League mound.
The Angels right-handed pitching prospect has been suspended 50 games for a second positive test of a drug of abuse, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced Friday.

Some of the drugs of abuse specifically mentioned in the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program are natural cannabinoids (e.g., marijuana), cocaine, ecstasy, LSD and PCP, among others. The exact drug Bates tested positive for was not disclosed.

The 6-foot-8 right-handed reliever was taken by the Angels in the 15th round of the 2015 Draft out of Georgia State. He pitched only five innings in 2016 before taking on a fuller load last season, when he posted a 5.60 ERA and 1.59 WHIP with 76 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings between Class A Advanced Inland Empire and Class A Burlington. He was sent to the Arizona Fall League at the end of the campaign and posted a 2.38 ERA with seven strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings in the more advanced circuit.
Bates opened 2018 with Double-A Mobile and pitched one inning on April 9 before being placed on the disabled list three days later. He was still on the BayBears' DL at the time his suspension was announced Friday.
Forty-six Minor League players have been suspended for drug-related violations in 2018.