Major League Baseball suspended Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Josh Ravin for 80 games for violating the league’s drug policy.
The Southern California native, 2-1 last season, remained sidelined before the suspension because of a car accident during spring training that resulted in a broken arm. Ravin blamed the positive drug test on a supplement.
“During 2016 spring training, I came down with a severe case of intestinal flu and strep throat,” Ravin claims. “I was put on antibiotics and lost a total of 20 pounds in less than seven days. To try and speed up my recovery, I took some supplements that I thought would help. Unfortunately, I was not as careful as I should have been and one of the supplements contained a banned substance.”
The suspension follows similar ones meted out to Blue Jay Chris Colabello and Marlin Dee Gordon, who also deny knowingly taking a banned substance.
“We are disappointed to hear that Josh has violated Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” the Dodgers maintained in a statement. “The Dodgers fully support MLB’s policy toward eliminating performance enhancing substances from the sport and, as per the Joint Drug Program, we will have no further comment on this suspension.”