UPDATE (2:22 p.m. ET): Robinson Cano officially has been suspended 80 games without pay, effective immediately, for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy after testing positive for the diuretic Furosemide.
The Seattle Mariners star released a statement Tuesday accepting the suspension but insisting he didn’t know he was taking a banned substance.
ORIGINAL STORY: Robinson Cano’s 2018 season has taken a drastic turn for the worse.
The Seattle Mariners second baseman will be suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal confirmed Tuesday via a source.
Hector Gomez of the Dominican Republic television network Z101 Digital was the first to report that Cano would be suspended for steroid use. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported Cano wasn’t caught with a performance-enhancing drug, however.
The news comes just two days after Cano fractured a bone in his right hand when he was hit by a pitch in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list and was expected to miss an extended amount of time.
According to MLB’s drug policy, a player can serve his 80-game suspension while on the disabled list, meaning it’s still possible Cano could return to the Mariners in mid-August if he’s healthy. He’ll still lose a lot of money, though.
The 35-year-old veteran had been hitting .287 with four home runs and 23 RBIs through 39 games before his injury.
