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Blue Jays’ Orelvis Martinez Suspended for Violating PED Policy Days After MLB Debut
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez was suspended 80 games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Sunday.
Martinez tested positive for Clomiphene, a banned substance that he claimed was prescribed to him by a fertility clinic in his native Dominican Republic last winter. Martinez, the Blue Jays’ top hitting prospect, made his major league debut Friday night against the Cleveland Guardians after shortstop Bo Bichette was placed on the injured list.
Martinez released the following statement on his suspension:
“For the past two years, I have been trying to start a family with my girlfriend. During the offseason, we visited a fertility clinic in the Dominican Republic and after getting lab work done, we were prescribed a treatment, which included a medication called Rejun 50. Unfortunately, Rejun 50 contains a banned substance called Clomiphene.
“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 continued. “Therefore, I made the mistake of not disclosing this to my team or the MLBPA. With that said, I took full responsibility for my actions and accepted my suspension.”
The Major League Baseball Players Association issued the following statement on behalf of Orelvis Martinez: pic.twitter.com/67MIRF4T2k
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) June 23, 2024
The 22-year-old Martinez was batting .260 with 16 home runs in 63 games in Triple-A before getting called up last Friday.
“We were both surprised and disappointed to learn of Orelvis Martinez's suspension,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a statement. “We will do everything in our power to ensure Orelvis has learned from his mistake. Orelvis has our support, and we know he will get through this.”
Martinez will be eligible to return to the Blue Jays (35-41) in September.
KRISTEN WONG
Kristen Wong is a Staff Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI, Kristen covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. She has written about soccer, the NFL, NBA, and MLB since 2020, and outside of work, has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.