Bisons slugger suspended 80 games for PED violation

NEW YORK — Buffalo Bisons slugger Orelvis Martinez, who made his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, was suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball on Sunday following a testing positive for clomiphene, a performance-enhancing drug.

Martínez, 22, has been on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster since November 2022. He was 1-for-3 with a strikeout Friday at Cleveland.

Before Friday, he appeared in 63 games for the Bisons this season, hitting .260 and leading the team with 16 home runs and 46 RBIs, while also recording an OPS of .867.

He released a statement apologizing to the Blue Jays and their fans.

“For two years, I have been trying to start a family with my girlfriend. During the offseason, we visited a fertility clinic in the Dominican Republic and after carrying out laboratory tests, we were prescribed a treatment including a drug called Rejun 50,” Martínez said in a statement released by the association of players.

“Unfortunately, Rejun 50 contains a banned substance called clomiphene. We wanted to keep this matter private, even within our family, and trusted the doctor who assured us that this treatment did not include performance-enhancing drugs. Therefore, I made the mistake of not disclosing it to my team or the MLBPA. That said, I have taken full responsibility for my actions and accepted my suspension.

Martínez signed with Toronto in July 2018 for a $3.51 million bonus and rose through the ranks of the Blue Jays’ minor league system.

“The Blue Jays fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and strongly believe in maintaining a level playing field.

“We were both surprised and disappointed to learn of Orelvis Martínez’s suspension,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a statement. “We will do everything in our power to ensure Orelvis learns from this mistake.”

Martínez will lose around half his salary. His contract provides $740,000 in the major leagues and $120,600 in the minor leagues, the minimum.

“I will learn from this experience and return to the field in September,” Martínez said.