Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez just made his MLB debut on Friday. Unfortunately, Martinez won't be playing again for a while after he was suspended 80 games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The 22-year-old Martinez is the Blue Jays' top hitting prospect and was hoping to help spark a slumping squad that's in last place in the American League East. This suspension is just another setback for the disappointing team.
Martinez released a statement on the suspension, saying he was prescribed a fertility drug this past winter in the Dominican Republic and that led to the positive test. The medication, Rejun 50, contains the banned substance Clomiphene.
“We wanted to keep this matter private, even within our family, and trusted the doctor who assured us this treatment did not include performance-enhancing drugs. Therefore, I made the mistake of not disclosing this to my team or the MLBPA,” Martinez wrote, via USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale.
“With that said, I took full responsibility for my negligence and accepted my suspension.
“I want to apologize to my teammates in both Buffalo and Toronto, the Blue Jays organization, and most importantly, the fans who have supported me during my career.
“I will learn from experience and come back to the field in September.”
Orelvis Martinez's MLB debut
Orelvis Martinez just recently got called up and made his MLB debut in the Blue Jays' 7-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. The 22-year-old started at second base and went 1-for-3 at the plate with a strikeout. He didn't play on Saturday.
Martinez is listed at No. 68 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list. In 63 Triple-A games this season, he slashed .260/.343/.523 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI.
Toronto signed Martinez back in 2018 as an international free agent. His $3.5 million signing bonus is the second-highest in team history given to an international free agent, behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The youngster made his first appearance with the organization in the Gulf Coast League in 2019.
Blue Jays in shambles
This Orelvis Martinez suspension is just the latest letdown in a season full of them in Toronto. The Blue Jays are currently riding a five-game losing streak to drop to 35-41 on the season, 15.5 games out of first place in the AL East and six games out of the last AL Wild Card spot.
With Toronto underachieving yet again, the rumors about a possible blow-up at the trade deadline will only continue to get louder. Guerrero and Bo Bichette are candidates to be on the move if general manager Ross Atkins gets desperate, though there are no guarantees he takes that kind of drastic action.
Still, the Blue Jays will be a team to watch over the next month. With Martinez now out of the picture and not available to give Toronto a much-needed shot in the arm, this season might just be dead in the water.
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