Philadelphia Phillies star Jose Alvarado has been suspended by Major League Baseball for 80 games without pay for taking a performance enhancing drug, effective immediately. Â
Alvarado will not appeal the suspension and is now ineligible for the postseason should the Phillies qualify. Â
Philadelphia general manager Dave Dombrowksi stated the drug, exogenous testosterone, was taken for weight loss, not for a competitive advantage.Â
Alvarado was the bullpen ace for the Phillies with seven saves on the season and a 4-1 record.Â
The Venezuelan also had 25 strikeouts and has only allowed one home run in 20 innings pitched this season.Â
His last appearance before the suspension was a two-out effort against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Alvarado will be eligible to return to the field around mid-August. Â
Phillies star Jose Alvarado has been suspended by Major League Baseball for 80 games
Philadelphia general manager Dave Dombrowksi stated the drug use was unintentional
The Phillies have the third-best record in the National League entering Sunday’s games and are in the thick of the early-season playoff race at 27-18.Â
The team now has a glaring hole in its relief pitchers, which will likely be taken care of through a trade as the team hopes to win a World Series for the first time since 2008.Â
Philadelphia has made the postseason each of the last three years, including a National League pennant win in 2022 before losing to the Houston Astros in six in the championship tilt. Â
By Sunday’s game, Alvarado’s locker had already been cleaned out.Â
The 29-year-old has been with the Phillies since 2021 after breaking into the big leagues and spending four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.Â
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Philadelphia Phillies star Jose Alvarado gets massive ban for failing drugs test