The 14-and-under crowd at PNC Park on Sunday was handed a replica Jameson Taillon jersey. The original plan was for them to receive Starling Marte jerseys, but that promotion was scratched and subbed out April 18 when Marte was suspended 80 games after testing positive for Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid under the umbrella of performance-enhancing drugs.
Neither Marte nor his replica jerseys were in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Instead, Marte started a rehab assignment with Class High-A Bradenton, going 0 for 3 in his first game since April 17. Prior to the game, Marte spoke publicly for the first time since the suspension was announced.
"It was an error," Marte said told reporters through interpreter Hector Morales. "It was something that was a mistake I made. Just thinking there's always something that can help. To move forward, I'm always trying to be better. But it's a mistake. I know I made that mistake. I just want to move forward and continue to help my team."
Marte provided few details about how Nandrolone may have entered his system. He said the supplement he suspects caused the positive test was something he purchased on his own, not one given to him. He said he was not given specific information about how the substance was going to help him, nor did those he asked know how the "tainted formula" was in what he took.
"I'm not going to make this mistake again," Marte said. "I'm not going to trust anybody that brings or tells me anything. If anybody ever offers me anything, or I have to take anything, I'm going to always clear it with my trainer and the organization to ensure that what I am taking for my health and for my nutrition is in accordance with the regulations.
"I'm not going to do that again, because I've learned a significant lesson. ... At this moment, this is something that is very critical, and I need to learn from it. I've just got to move forward. I can't think about the things that I did. I learned from it, and I've just got to move forward."
When Marte returns to the Pirates, which can occur as soon as July 18, he'll once again play left field, manager Clint Hurdle revealed. This winter, the team moved Marte, a two-time Gold Glove left fielder, to center, Andrew McCutchen to right and Gregory Polanco to left.
That outfield realignment has since been entirely demolished. When Marte was suspended, McCutchen went back to center field, where advanced metrics still are unkind to him. On May 9, Polanco returned to right, where Hurdle says he appears more comfortable and confident.
Is the Marte move a sign of respect to McCutchen or simply a return to the old alignment?
"That's where (Marte) needs to fit in," Hurdle said.
"We felt that was the best alignment for this club in this situation," general manager Neal Huntington said, adding about Marte, "We've got a young man who recognizes he's got work to do, who recognizes he's put himself in a situation where he needs to earn people's trust and respect back again. But we've also got a young man who's driven to fold himself back into this club, earn his way back and help this club win games."
Hurdle said Marte will join Class AAA Indianapolis early this week.
Marte said he learned about the failed drug test tweets before the season began. The fact he was batting .241 when the suspension was announced may not have been coincidence.
"When you have issues and when you're thinking about something," he said, "it does impact the way your mind stays focused. I'm not going to say 100 percent that my performance was impacted by that, but at the time I was worried. I had all of these things in the back of my mind."
The Pirates didn't find out about the failed test until directly before the suspension was announced, according to Huntington. Their depth already was strained by the absence of Jung Ho Kang, who remains in South Korea, unable to obtain a United States visa after his third DUI.
"Our depth got exposed," Huntington said. "We built this team to have Kang at third base and Marte in center field as we started the season. (Adam) Frazier and (David) Freese were going to be valuable role players for us. Instead, we've had to force (Max) Moroff, (Jose) Osuna and other guys into those roles. Osuna has done well. Some of the other guys have been challenged."
