MINNEAPOLIS _ Major League Baseball on Saturday announced that Twins pitcher Michael Pineda has received a 60-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy.
Pineda tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, which is a diuretic and can be used to mask detection of a performance-enhancing drug. The suspension takes place immediately, meaning Pineda's 2019 season is over and he won't be eligible for any postseason games.
It's a blow to the Twins in many different ways. Pineda, 11-5 with a 4.01 ERA, was having a good season in his return from Tommy John surgery and was showing the talent that made him a top Seattle prospect before he was traded to the Yankees in 2012.
Pineda originally was hit with an 80-day suspension but had it reduced on appeal by an arbitrator under the mitigation policy, major league sources confirmed. Diuretics are sometimes used for rapid weight loss; Pineda is 6-foot-7 and clearly weighs more than his listed 260 pounds.
He will not be paid during the suspension, which will carry over into 2020. His two-year, $10 million contract with the Twins expires at season's end; he signed the contract before the 2018 season, and didn't pitch for the Twins last year because of his recovery and subsequent injuries.
Pineda had been the steadiest member of the starting rotation, with a 2.96 ERA over his past 14 starts. With Kyle Gibson on the injured list because of ulcerative colitis, the Twins are down two members of their starting rotation after going five months with one of the league's most stable staffs.
The Twins now have had three recent cases of players failing drug tests. Right-hander Ervin Santana tested positive for stanozolol during spring training in 2015, missing the first 80 regular season games. And last spring training, shortstop Jorge Polanco tested positive for stanozolol as well, also receiving an 80-game suspension.
The Twins on Saturday issued this statement: "We were disappointed to learn of the suspension of Michael Pineda for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support Major League Baseball's policy and its efforts to eliminate banned substances from our game. Per the protocol outlined in the Joint Drug Program, the Minnesota Twins will not comment further on this matter."
