The All-Star Break is the perfect time for the MLB’s stars to relax and celebrate America’s favorite pastime. Sadly, not all players are enjoying the Midsummer Classic; particularly those that have succumbed to a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
This 2016, a whopping nine players were suspended – currently tied for the most in a single season with the league’s 2013 campaign – and we’re only halfway through the regular season at that. The total number of suspensions this year could certainly increase before we head into the playoffs, so the rest of the active big-leaguers must know better than to emulate these guilty offenders listed below.
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List of MLB Players Suspended for PEDs this 2016 Season
Jenrry Mejia (New York Mets)
Date suspended: February 12, 2016
Duration of ban: lifetime
It’s time to chant “hey hey hey goodbye” towards Dominican righty Jenrry Mejia, as he had just ironically notched his third strike for PEDs to warrant his final out(ing) in the majors.
Mejia tested positive for the third time in less than a calendar year this February, making him the first player to receive the lifetime ban from the MLB’s drug policy that was first upheld in the 2005 season.
Abraham Almonte (Cleveland Indians)
Date suspended: February 26, 2016
Duration of ban: 80 games
Three-year journeyman Abraham Almonte may find it hard to find yet another new ball club to call his home, as he was the first player to receive the daunting 80-game ban for a first offender that was just implemented this 2016 season.
The Mariners and Padres have had it with the Dominican centerfielder after just one season of mediocre play with their respective teams, and it’s more than likely that the Indians will follow suit after this unfortunate drug-related incident.
Daniel Stumpf (Philadelphia Phillies)
Date suspended: April 14, 2016
Duration of ban: 80 games
Daniel Stumpf’s rookie season could not have gone any worse. Three games played with just two-thirds of an inning’s worth of total work; three runs allowed with no strikeouts for an abysmal ERA of 40.50; and an 80-game suspension for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone.
Man, was that a mouthful of some pretty bad stuff. Frankly, we’re as “Stumpf’d” as Daniel as for how his budding professional career sank this low this fast.
Chris Colabello (Toronto Blue Jays)
Date suspended: April 22, 2016
Duration of ban: 80 games
Hard to believe that 32-year-old Chris Colabello only has three years of Major League experience under his belt. What’s even harder to fathom is that this grown man resorted to Turinabol in hopes of keeping up with the league’s young guns.
Colabello was a promising prospect for the Twins last season despite his age, but now the Blue Jays have to give serious thought whether or not they should give their supposed starting first baseman another shot at his starting job after his ban will be lifted sometime shortly after the All-Star Break.
Dee Gordon (Miami Marlins)
Date suspended: April 29, 2016
Duration of ban: 80 games
Perhaps the biggest name on this list, Dee Gordon and his 80-game suspension for taking both Clostebol and artificial testosterone hurts the league the most. Just ask the NL East-contending Miami Marlins.
Without a doubt, the 28-year-old Gordon is a superstar on the rise. He’s hot off a phenomenal 2015 season, having earned an All-Star nod to go with his Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and NL batting title accolades. Here’s hoping that the Florida native has learned his lesson in order for him to continue dazzling his hometown fans.
Josh Ravin (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Date suspended: May 2, 2016
Duration of ban: 80 games
A serious injury can be emotionally tough as it is physically. In the case of Dodgers reliever Josh Ravin, his untimely automobile accident this February broke more than just his forearm, as his career in the majors might now be in jeopardy after taking PEDs to possibly ease all levels of pain that he had to endure.
Keep your head up, Josh, and stay positive. Many players have bounced back with flying colors after being handed out a drug ban by the league.
Raul A. Mondesi (Kansas City Royals)
Date suspended: May 10, 2016
Duration of ban: 50 games
1994 NL Rookie of the Year Raul Mondesi has got to be extremely proud of his son (of the same name), who won a World Series title with the Royals last season and still has a ton of baseball left to play in his bright Major League career.
However, Raul Sr. has also seen his share of disappointment from the 20-year-old. The younger Mondesi tested positive for Clenbuterol this May, but was somehow lucky to receive just a 50-game suspension from the league after further investigation showed that the young shortstop ingested the drug by way of a mere medication for the common cold.
Marlon Byrd (Cleveland Indians)
Date suspended: June 1, 2016
Duration of ban: 162 games
Fool the league once? Fine. Fool the league twice? Well, you might as well just admit to the guilt already and call it a day, as with what Marlon Byrd did after receiving his lengthy ban for his second offense of MLB’s drug policy.
After 14 years of service for 11 different teams in the majors, the 38-year-old has finally realized that he’s no longer cut out to keep up with the sheer athleticism of the current generation of big-leaguers, and that no amount of PEDs can change his ability to improve. Shortly after his suspension was handed to him, Byrd announced to his teammates in Cleveland that his Major League career has likely come to an end.
Alec Asher (Philadelphia Phillies)
Date suspended: June 16, 2016
Duration of ban: 80 games
Rounding out our list is Phillies pitcher Alec Asher, who tested positive for the same stuff that his teammate Daniel Stumpf got in trouble for just a few months before him.
And just like Stumpf, this was Asher’s maiden season in the majors, which was just as horrible (0-6 record with an ERA of 9.31) as his fellow teammate’s; 80-game suspension notwithstanding. When will these young overachievers ever learn from the mistakes made by their own peers?
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