Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Derek Dietrich Suspended By MLB For Banned Substance

Dietrich was playing for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.

Max Goodman

In this story:

Yankees minor leaguer Derek Dietrich has been suspended 50 games without pay by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a banned substance, MLB announced on Friday afternoon.

Dietrich, 33, tested for 1,4-dimethylpentylamine, or DMPA, a stimultant, the league said.

The former big-league slugger had been playing for New York's Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre leading up to the suspension, which is effective immediately. With only 48 contests remaining in the RailRiders' schedule, it seems as though Dietrich's season is over.

Dietrich began the 2022 season with Double-A Somerset, quickly earning a promotion to Triple-A. In Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the left-handed hitter was batting .244/.308/.402 with two home runs and 20 RBI in 41 games, appearing on defense at four different positions. 

It's been a few years since Dietrich has suited up for a big-league game. In 2020, Dietrich played 25 games with the Rangers. The year before that, the veteran hit 19 homers over 113 games in a Reds uniform.

Dietrich began his career with six seasons on the Marlins, hitting .254 with 60 home runs in that span. 

The slugger spent time last year in the Yankees' farm system as well, doing his best to get back to the big-league level. Now, his future in the organization, and in baseball overall, is up in the air.

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Home/News