FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Minnesota Twins pitcher Ervin Santana was suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball on Friday after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol.
In a statement released through the players’ union, Santana said he was surprised by the news but does not plan to appeal. New to the Twins this year, he’ll miss the first half of the season.
This was the third penalty for a positive Stanozolol test reported by MLB in the last eight days, following Seattle pitcher David Rollins and Atlanta pitcher Arodys Vizcaino.
A person familiar with the penalties told The Associated Press that MLB will look into whether there’s a common source to the three cases. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is not finished.
Santana signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Twins after pitching last season with Atlanta. The 32-year-old righty will lose $5,901,639 of his $13.5 million salary this season.