Add Starling Marte’s name to the list of Major League Baseball players nabbed for performance-enhancing drugs.
MLB on Tuesday announced an 80-game suspension for the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder. Marte tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone, MLB announced.
Marte released the following statement, per FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
The 28-year-old two-time Gold Glove winner is considered one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. He’s also solid at the plate, as evidenced by a .288 career batting average. Marte hit a career-high 19 home runs in 2015 and then posted career-bests in batting average (.311) and OPS (.818) during the 2016 season.
Marte is hitting just .241 with two home runs and seven RBIs through 13 games this season, but it’s still a potentially devastating blow for the Pirates, who have scuffled out of the gate. Pittsburgh is 6-7, sitting two games out of first place in the National League Central. Taking a player like Marte — who’s among the top 15 or 20 outfielders in the game — out of the mix certainly will hurt.
