The Toronto Blue Jays managed to come back to beat the New York Yankees last night, pulling out an exciting 8-7 victory in the 11th. Lost in the excitement was another two pitchers going down with injuries, as both Henderson Alvarez and Aaron Laffey suffered injuries on line drives to their legs.
A remote possibility existed that Marcus Stroman, the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft may have been called up to help an ailing pitching staff. However, without even playing a game it seems the Jays suffered another pitching loss. Stroman just tested positive for Methylhexaneamine, a stimulant that has been banned by baseball.
Stroman faces a 50 game suspension as a result of the positive test. It’s another devastating blow to the Jays organization, as he won’t be able to play in a game until at least 2013. Stroman had been dominant in the minors, going 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA, striking out 23 and walking 9 in 19 1/3 innings pitched.
Stroman tried to explain the positive test, as seen below:
“Despite taking precautions to avoid violating the minor league testing program, I unknowingly ingested a banned stimulant that was in an over-the-counter supplement,” Stroman said in a statement issued by the Blue Jays. “Nonetheless, I accept full responsibility and I want to apologize to the Toronto Blue Jays organization, my family, my teammates and the Blue Jays fans everywhere. I look forward to putting this behind me and rejoining my teammates.”
It’s been a nightmare season for the Blue Jays, as nearly half of the opening day lineup has missed time to injuries. The loss of Stroman hurts given that he was considered one of the most advanced pitching prospects in the draft, an arm capable of pitching in the bullpen as early as this season. Hopefully Stroman’s situation can be a lesson for other Blue Jays prospects, as one should never take a substance without knowing exactly what is in it.
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