Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas reportedly tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance and is appealing an 80-game suspension, according to multiple reports.
Reporter Wilber Sánchez first reported that Rojas failed a PED drug test Sunday night, making him ineligible for the World Baseball Classic. Nelson Cruz, the Dominican Republic team’s general manager, told reporters Monday that Rojas was removed from the roster for “personal matters.”
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman and The Athletic reported Tuesday that Rojas failed a PED drug test and is appealing an 80-game suspension. According to The Athletic, the positive PED test happened during the offseason.
The 25-year-old appeared in 71 games last season with the Phillies, posting a career-low .569 OPS over 172 plate appearances.
Rojas was in spring training competing for the club’s 26th roster spot, but a suspension would take him out of the equation and put his future in question. Rojas is allowed to continue playing during the appeal process, The Athletic reported.
Rojas is the third Phillies player to fail a PED test over the past year.
Phillies relief pitcher José Alvarado was suspended 80 games last May for testing positive for exogenous testosterone, and the team said it was from a weight loss drug he took.
In January, Max Kepler was hit with an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Epitrenbolone, a metabolite of Trenbolone, which the Associated Press reported is used in some products in body-building stores and was used in products promoting cattle growth.
Kepler, who played last season with the Phillies and was a free agent at the time of his suspension, became the first player MLB suspended for the substance since public announcements of the penalty details began in 2005.
