:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53265809/usa_today_9879124.0.jpg)
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that Yeremi Rosario has been suspended 72 games due to a positive drug test. Rosario tested positive for Tamoxifen, which is classified as a performance enhancing drug. Rosario’s suspension is without pay and will begin at the start of the Dominican Summer League (DSL) season where he was expected to play this year.
Rosario is listed as a DH on the DSL Rockies and wasn’t expected to receive a promotion stateside after hitting .233/.288/.293 as an 18-year-old prospect last season. Those numbers were a slight improvement over his 2015 season when he slashed .181/.269/.225. Unfortunately that performance probably wasn’t going to cut it for someone who did not have a defensive position.
Tamoxifen is an estrogen-blocking drug that is normally used to treat and prevent some forms of breast cancer. However, it has been abused in the past by body-builders to help shape their physique and more recently by baseball players to try and enhance their performance including Manny Ramirez who was linked to it.