Milwaukee Brewers backup catcher Pedro Severino has been suspended for 80 games without pay. Severino tested positive for Clomiphene, and under the league’s PED prevention program, it’s a banned substance. Following the suspension, Severino released a statement courtesy of the MLBPA. He will lose half of his $1.9 million salary.
The Major League Baseball Players Association issued the following statement from Pedro Severino (updated): pic.twitter.com/lNjJdVXRJF
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) April 5, 2022
He’s played seven seasons in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. The 28-year old had one of the best seasons of his career in 2021. Severino hit 11 home runs and 46 RBI in a career-high 419 plate appearances.
Severino signed a one-year deal as a free agent with Milwaukee to replace Manny Piña as Omar Narváez’s backup. The Brewers added Severino to supply some offense as they are invested in helping his game defensively. This spring, he showed that power.
The suspension of Severino puts the Brewers in a hole at the catcher position. They have two ideal replacements on the 40-man roster two days before Opening Day. 28-year old Brett Sullivan, who came from the Tampa Bay Rays, posted a .678 OPS for Triple-A Durham. However, Sullivan has no prior major league experience as he hit an underwhelming .223/.302/.375.
As for Mario Feliciano, he’s got one game of major league experience. Feliciano is coming off a season where he struggled, hitting .210/.246/.314 in 32 Triple-A games.
Jakson Reetz is the other option, who has two big-league appearances to his name, is at camp as a non-roster invite. Another option could come from the free agent market. Sandy León opted out of a minor league deal with the Cleveland Guardians.
MLB announced three other performance-enhancing drug-related suspensions. Free agents Richard Rodríguez, Danny Santana, and José Rondón were banned for 80 games for testing positive for Boldenone. These are the first suspensions to be handed since the MLB drug testing program resumed on March 11.
For anyone looking for how to bet on baseball, it’s important to take note of developing news, which have shifted the odds in the past. Let’s see how Vegas responds.
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