A's Outfielder Suspended 80 Games for PED Use

 

This could be a huge blow to the Oakland A's dreams of making the playoffs. Outfielder Ramon Laureano has been suspended for the rest of the season, and the first month of next season, for violating baseball's Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Translation: for using a banned substance.

A’s Laureano receives 80-game suspension. pic.twitter.com/XNvtmpd7Ra

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 6, 2021

The substance in question is a trace amount of nandrolone, a performance-enhancing drug (PED), and his loss for the rest of 2021 could cripple the A's chances of hanging on to a Wild Card berth. 

Laureano has immediately denied the charges, and issued a statement through the players association:

The Major League Baseball Players Association issued the following statement from Ramón Laureano: pic.twitter.com/j7aLbnceIs

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) August 6, 2021

I would never knowingly ingest any banned substance and put the game that I've loved all my life at risk. When I found out that I tested positive for nandroline, I was shocked... I am devastated. Anyone who truly knows me as a person knows how much I love the game and that I would never intentionally do something like this.

It remains to be seen what kind of action Laureano and the MLBPA will take in response.  

In the meantime, the trade deadline acquisition of Starling Marte will now prove to be an even bigger transaction than the A's could have imagined.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports