Minnesota Twins pitcher Ervin Santana will be suspended 80 games after testing positive for the steroid Stanozolol, Major League Baseball announced Friday. Santana will miss the first 80 games of the 2015 season, and will not be paid while he's suspended.
Santana released a statement on the Twins' website shortly after MLB announced the news. A portion of it reads:
I am very disappointed that I tested positive for a performance enhancing drug. I am frustrated that I can't pinpoint how the substance in question entered my body. I would never knowingly take anything illegal to enhance my performance. What I can guarantee is I never knowingly took anything illegal to enhance my performance. That's just not me, never has ben and never will.
Santana added that he'll be more careful about the substances he takes when he's back home in the Dominican Republic. He does not intend to appeal the suspension.
The 32-year-old Santana signed a four-year, $55 million deal with Minnesota in December. The deal is the largest free-agent contract in Twins' history. Santana was coming off a solid season with the Atlanta Braves, in which he posted a 3.95 ERA over 196 innings. He was expected to be Minnesota's No. 2 starter behind Phil Hughes.
With Santana out for half the season, the team will turn to Mike Pelfrey in the rotation. The 31-year-old Pelfrey posted a 7.99 ERA over 23 2/3 innings with the club last season before missing the rest of the year with various injuries. Pelfrey was expected to open 2015 in the team's bullpen, and initially expressed frustration about not being in the rotation. He'll have that chance now.
The club could have opted to go with youngsters Trevor May or Alex Meyer, but chose to go with the veteran in Pelfrey. Both May and Meyer competed for the fifth spot in the rotation this spring, but were beaten out by Tommy Milone. May and Meyer should both be in the majors at some point this season.
While the addition of Santana wasn't expected to make the Twins a contender, the news hurts. The rotation is certainly weaker, and the team will miss out on the innings Santana would have provided. The Twins weren't going to be good with or without Santana, but the news puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the team's staff.
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