Free agent pitcher Carlos Martinez was suspended for 80 games for violating the league’s PED policy, MLB Network insider John Heyman reported.
According to StarTribune, Martinez tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance, ibutamoren (increases the level of human growth hormone).
Martinez, a former member of the St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Game, was selected by the Boston Worcester Red Sox Triple-A earlier this month. After just two starts in junior high, he was released by the team.
Martinez lasted just 4.3 innings combined in his first two starts. The 30-year-old pitcher made 10 earned runs with an ERA of 20.77. He was released on May 17.
Martinez has hit the All-Star Game twice in his nine-year MLB career. In 2017, he led the league in total games (2), outs (2) and batters (858). He also scored a career-high 217 outs.
Martinez posted a 4-9 record in 16 starts (6.23 ERA) for the Cardinals in 2021.
If another team wants to risk Martinez later in the season, they’ll need to do so near the end of the 2022 MLB campaign.
