Houston Astros right-hander Francis Martes was suspended without pay for the entire 2020 season for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Major League Baseball announced Monday.
Martes, 24, already had served an 80-game suspension during the 2019 season for a positive test. The league announced that his latest suspension, which is for 162 games, followed a positive test for the drug Boldenone.
The Astros released a statement after the league announced Martes’ suspension.
“Throughout our system, players are educated through MLB’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Programs,” the statement said. “It is disappointing when any player is in violation of the policies that are in place. We hope that Francis will learn from this experience moving forward. The Astros continue to fully support Major League Baseball’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Programs.”
Martes broke into the majors as a 21-year-old with the Astros during the 2017 season. He went 5-2 with a 5.80 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings over 32 games (four starts).