Former Tigers RHP Victor Alcantara Suspended 80 Games for PEDs
By Sean Facey
After both Pirates infielder Pablo Reyes and Astros pitcher Francis Martes were handed suspensions for PED use earlier in the week, the MLB issued another ban on Friday.
Former Tigers right-hander and current free agent Victor Alcantara has been suspended 80 games after he tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug stanozolol.
Free-agent RHP Victor Alcantara receives 80-game suspension for testing positive for stanozolol.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 21, 2020
After a strong campaign in which he posted a 2.40 ERA as a reliever in 2018, regression hit Alcantara hard. Last year, he struggled to the tune of a 4.85 ERA while also coughing up a career-high eight home runs across 46 appearances.
He just wasn't fooling batters at all. Opponents only struck out 13.2% of the time and had an expected slugging percentage of .531 against him in 2019, one of the highest marks in the league.
Free-agent pitcher Victor Alcántara has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 21, 2020
The suspension puts a damper on his ability to find his way back onto a major league roster considering he'll be sidelined for half the season.