Orelvis Martinez, Top Blue Jays Prospect, Suspended 80 Games

Orelvis Martinez, Top Blue Jays Prospect, Suspended 80 Games

Orelvis Martinez represented a glimmer of hope in an otherwise mediocre Blue Jays season. However, that hope is dashed after he got hit with an 80-game PED suspension. Jeff Passan of ESPN just broke the news:

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez has been suspended 80 games for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Martinez, 22, is Toronto’s top hitting prospect and made his big league debut Friday.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 23, 2024

The Dominican infielder made his debut this past Friday and went 1-3 with a single. In 63 AAA games Martinez hit 16 home runs and 46 RBIs with a slash line of .260/.343/.523. He was supposed to be the replacement for Cavan Biggio after Ross Atkins sent him to the Dodgers. That obviously is not gonna happen and is only another gut punch in what’s been a rough 2024 so far.

At 35-41, the Jays are already out of contention for the AL East with the Orioles and Yankees off to a flying start. They are currently six games out of the last AL Wild Card spot with a lot of question marks about what next season could look like. Should they opt to sell, there are a lot of pieces that teams would have interest in around the trade deadline. The main pieces are obviously one of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette. With a crowded race for playoff spots in both the AL and NL, sellers may be few and far between. Contenders will undoubtedly make calls but there are still a few more weeks to truly determine what’s next.

Waiting Game

Martinez was an undrafted free agent who began playing in Toronto’s farm system in 2019. He could feasibly return to play in the Majors at the very end of the season but you’d have to think he will get demoted after this happened. One has got to wonder how long Martinez has used PEDs and what kind of player he will look like once he returns. In a pretty surprising turn, he claimed that he took fertility drugs over the Winter that came up in the test. You be the judge as to whether he is trying to sweep something under the rug or not:

In a statement, Orelvis Martinez said he was prescribed a fertility drug this winter that led to his positive PED test.

“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…

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 23, 2024

Frank The Tank Embarrasses Himself In Front Of The Mets

Things are going from bad to worse north of the border. Toronto Blue Jays prospect Orelvis Martinez got whacked for 80 games and we won’t see him for a while.

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