Minnesota Twins Ervin Santana Suspended 80 Games for Positive Drug Test

By Cheri Cheng - 04 Apr '15 11:48AM

Minnesota Twins pitcher Ervin Santana has been suspended 80 games after a drug test came back positive, Major League Baseball announced Friday. Santana, who is the No. 2 starter, will not be paid during his suspension.

"It's disappointing. It's difficult," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "We had a fairly decent spring. Now we've got to regroup here and hopefully it won't affect us as we move forward."

According to the report, Santana tested positive for stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance. The right-hander issued a statement via the players' union that read:

"I preach hard work, and don't believe in short cuts. I am very disappointed that I tested positive for a performance enhancing drug. I am frustrated that I can't pinpoint how the substance in question entered my body. I would never knowingly take anything illegal to enhance my performance.

Moving forward, I need to be more careful on what I consume in my home country, I will be more vigilant of medications I take so that I don't commit another mistake," Santana said. "Having said that, I believe it is best to move forward and accept the punishment that has been negotiated by MLB and MLBPA for my positive PED test.

My deepest apologies to my family, fans, colleagues, teammates and my current employer the Minnesota Twins. All I can do now is continue to work hard, and when the suspension is up, come back to doing what I love."

Santana was expected to start the Twins' second game against the Detroit Tiger. During spring training, Santana put up a 1.89 ERA. In 2014, Santana was 14-10 with an ERA of 3.95.

"One thing that players know is adversity is a huge part of our game, and this is obviously something that no one really saw coming," Twins Manager Paul Molitor said. "So I just tried to assure them that I believe in the group that we have, and we will deal with it in the best possible way that we possibly can. It doesn't change how I expect us to compete."

The Twins have announced that Mike Pelfrey will take the free spot and be the No. 5 starter in the lineup. Ricky Nolasco will move up to the No. 2 spot and Kyle Gibson and Tommy Milone will take the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively. The club also announced that they will recall Aaron Thompson from Triple-A Rochester.