Diamondbacks Minor Leaguer Suspended For PEDs For 2nd Time

Whatever happened to the old saying, 'once bitten, twice shy'? One year ago, Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league pitcher Jose Valdez was slapped with a 60-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. Guess what? He's done it again:

Arizona #Dbacks minor-league pitcher Jose Valdez gets popped a second time for using performance-enhancing drugs.
This time, he gets a 120-game suspension.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 20, 2023

The penalty this time is doubled for Valdez, and he's now been slapped with a 120-game suspension. 

The right-hander got dinged for using Stanozolol last year on Feb. 4th, and, no, he didn't learn his lesson, as he's been caught with Stanozolol in his system once again. 

He was currently on the roster of the Dominican Summer League D-Backs, but had not pitched for them. His suspension will be effective at the start of the 2023 season.

The 21-year-old Dominican had a 4.43 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in the Snakes' system in 2021, but hasn't pitched for them since then.

Valdez becomes the first player suspended this year under either the major or minor league drug programs. There were 50 bans handed out last year under the minor league program and seven in the majors, most notably San Diego Padres' superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., who got an 80-game suspension, that will expire on April 19th of this season. 

Photo: The Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK