Major League Baseball has handed Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco an 80-game suspension without pay for testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com tweets. Polanco issued a statement in response to the ban (all of which is available here via Bollinger), saying that he “regretfully accepted” the suspension, but he “did not intentionally consume this steroid.”
“The substance that I requested from my athletic trainer in the Dominican Republic and consented to take was a combination of vitamin B12 and an iron supplement, something that is not unusual or illegal for professional athletes to take. Unfortunately, what I was given was not that supplement and I take full responsibility for what is in my body,” said Polanco, who added that he’d like to fight the punishment, but he’ll avoid doing it in the best interest of the Twins organization.
The Twins issued their own response, stating: “We were disappointed to learn of the suspension of Jorge Polanco for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support Major League Baseball’s policy and its efforts to eliminate performance enhancing substances from our game. Per the protocol outlined in the Joint Drug Program, the Minnesota Twins will not comment further on this matter.”
This is a tough late-spring development for Minnesota, a playoff hopeful that had the 24-year-old Polanco penciled in as its starting shortstop. Polanco filled that role in 2017 for the playoff-bound Twins and accounted for 1.6 fWAR across 544 plate appearances during his first full season in the majors. The switch-hitter batted .256/.313/.410 with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases on the offensive side, and he posted minus-1 DRS and minus-4.3 UZR as a defender.
With Polanco set to miss half the season, the Twins are likely to give short to Eduardo Escobar, while Ehire Adrianza will act as his main backup and minor league signing/experienced veteran Erick Aybar could also make the team, per Bollinger. Additionally, the Twins have 22-year-old middle infielder Nick Gordon, who ranks as MLB.com’s 80th-best prospect, but it doesn’t seem they’ll turn to him yet.
This hurts a lot.
He’s a witch. Burn him!
Not sure what you mean, but this certainly seems foolish. Anyone know why he would still get supplements from the Dominican (where the products seem to be less regulated and sometimes tainted with banned substances)?
I mean, what else floats in water?
Ducks?
Soap
Feces
Very small rocks!
Wood!!!
How about Kate Upton’s gargantuous boobs?
used syringes, evidently
I think you answered your own question with your own answer !
To be fair, the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements in the US either. I have to read up any vitamin and study the company supplying them to make sure I don’t ingest anything against NCAA rules as a college athlete.
You don’t have an approved list?
It gets a little more complicated than just a list. Tested athletes who want to be clean try harder to stay clean than players who consume banned substances try to stay clean
We had an approved list when I played. And MLB teams do as well. I don’t have an ounce of pity for anyone who went to their own trainer instead of the team trainer.
Come on, you don’t buy that statement about a faulty vitamin, do you?
And how do you KNOW he’s a witch?
Terrible news.
Are there any decent FA shortstops left they could sign?
Not really. They’re some ok options though for middle infield with Yunel Esobar, and Brandon Phillips they could probably get on cheap one year deals, but nothing great. They do still have Aybar though.
Drew, Hardy, Espinosa
Espinosa went to the Jays
Lol. Espinosa? Guy couldn’t hit within 30 batting average points of his weight last year. And the year before that he hit his weight. .209
I believe JJ Hardy is best option out there
JJ Hardy doesn’t have much left but maybe he’d be a decent veteran presence.
JJ had nothing but bad things to say about the twins when he left. At least the twins got that all star in the trade with the orioles, while JJ crashed immediately… I mean Hoey is household name and like JJ who? Am I right twins fans?
And at least they got him for nothing right… who was that Gomez guy anyway
Well they had a few trash CF to dump. who knows if that hicks guy is playing anymore, while the twins scored big on a catcher of the future
Jj was actually a huge/key part of a very competitive five year run by the Orioles.
span was okay when they traded him but at least I got a real stud in return. the best part of Mayer is that he never gets hurt
All this reminiscing, why aren’t bill smith and terry Ryan still GMs? So these two jokers we have put together one of the better off-seasons twins fans can remember in recent years, they still haven’t made sweet moves like dozier for a double-a top 500 prospect with injury concerns.
There was a report in the Globe today that the Sox were getting trade interest in Devon Marrero. Great fielder, can’t hit to save his life. I image he could be had for just about nothing because he is out of options and it doesn’t look like he’s going to make the team unless someone on the 25-man gets hurt.
Would think the Twins would just go with Adrianza as he’s already known as a good fielder who can’t hit.
Though he did make swing changes and hit better last year.
Is everybody forgetting about Eduardo Escobar and the monster second half he had last season and filling in for Miguel Sano. The Twins will be fine.
Not a major league caliber defensive SS.
Escobar has better defensive numbers at SS than polonco does.
Nick Gordon. Easy
hungry but he might actually still be filling in for sano
Most of the playing time will likely go to Escobar.
Man, that’s a hard hit for The Twins.
Rangers could send them Jurickson Profar.
Rather just use Aybar
not a bad idea but they won’t give up much for him
I kinda like that idea. Would take a weak minor leaguer and maybe cash considerations. Maybe flip Cave, they just got him but he’s got a good track record.
StanazoLOL
That’s exactly how I read and think it.
Which head was he using when he thought he could get away with Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance?,
He must have been suckered into a the premium stuff at GNC to get those glutes toned up for the ladies.
Hitting a mean cut on his Winstrol cycle.
The Twins have had a few players recently suspended do PED related issues.
who else? Santana and?….
There has been more than a dozen in the last decade, but most of it has been no name minors. Santana was definitely one of the more high profile.
About 16 since 2005. Santana, Vargas, Polanco and Juan Rincon are the only recognizable names.
The rest are “who in the world is that?”
yikes do that go with Escobar and adrianza at SS or try to get someone? if so who?
I imagine they’ll go with Escobar, Aybar, and Adrianza. Opens the door for an early call-up of Gordon as well
Does this mean he is also ineligible for post-season play?
Yes
They’ll ride it out with adrianza & Escobar and if Gordon hits well at AAA they’ll give him a call up after his super two status requirements. Aybar probably won’t even make the team.
he only makes the team if saño can’t go and Escobar and adrianza are both starting
Stupid cheater. Own up and say you were cheating. Don’t pull the Braun and blame everyone around you.
I’m not saying this is the case with Polanco, but some guys are bound to have it enter their system without their knowledge. Having this mentality is unfair to them.
It’s amazing how ignorant people are on steroids. Guys in the ufc are testing positive for peds if they eat any meat in Mexico. You gotta pretty much breed your own meat nowadays to be completely sure there’s no peds in it.
When USDA first started in the ufc a couple of writers took the test so they could write about and half of them failed. Everyone who fat unathletic guys who don’t work out. Most of the guys that are getting caught aren’t trying to cheat, some of them are caught with old easily found old East Germany riods nobody takes anymore and these buffoons on here think they’re trying to cheat.
Reality of the situation is the guys who can afford the good steroids that won’t show up on tests aren’t going to get caught furthering the gap between the good and great players.
You know I don’t know much about the beef steroid game in Mexico but I can tell you that stanzolol (winstrol) is primarily used in human beings for cutting cycles. Now, to me, that doesn’t sound advantageous for beefing up your cattle. Not buying that one. I’ll say it’s more likely that ol Jorge might’ve gotten a little out of shape over break and felt like he needed a boost getting back down to his playing weight.
iverbure…….”Reality of the situation is the guys who can afford the good steroids that won’t show up on tests aren’t going to get caught….” I am curious as to which of these new steroids doesn’t raise a players testosterone level? Care to name one?
I ask because a failed test is not determined simply on a AAS like stanozolol or boldenone being detected in a urine sample. A failed test is also triggered by a fluctuation in a player’s T:E ratio as established by their Longitudinal Profile aka Biological Passport. Do you realize that? I’m just curious as to which of these “good steroids” has the ability to increase muscle mass without altering the T:E ratio thereby “triggering” an IRMS (Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry).
you should check out Game of Shadows about Barry Bonds and BALCO. Victor Conte had the T/E ratio beat decades ago.
So did Tony Bosch for the standards at that time which were a ridiculous 4:1. That is no longer the case. Neither Conte’s or Bosch’s regimen would hold up today.
All standards and protocols changed after Biogenesis. MLB had been asking the MLBPA for several years for tighter, WADA standards and protocols including blood tests for hGH but they refused until the embarrassment of Biogenesis.
Now each player’s T:E ratio is kept on file and new tests are compared to old results. If there is a fluctuation then an IRMS is run. As a matter of fact random samples are tested via IRMS throughout the year to identify any biological markers.
They could get Pennington from the Reds.
Total idiot move. This drug is used by athletes for one purpose: performance enhancement. He knew exactly what he was doing, just as Santana did two years ago. Send a message and show some backbone and release him outright.
Even more of an idiot move would be releasing your 24 year-old shortstop because you’re offended that he cheated
He’s a bad investment, as was Santana.
Yeah im sure you’d like that and your team grabs him as a “reclamation” project.
Santana has seemed like an ace since his return. Polanco will be back.
Judge not lest thee be judged. It so easy to point a finger but remember four are pointing back at you!
Judge hasn’t been caught yet.
The old B-12 fallback excuse!
Stanzo? Really? Get with the times, Jorge.
I think they use that to stack with other Roids ! Well they used to anyway. What I been told by g guys !
How about a trade of Dansby Swanson for Royce Lewis and Brent Rooker.
Or dansby Swanson for Erick Aybar. But of course Atlanta should give some money to in order to take their flop of a prospect.
NFL fans don’t give a damn why a player is suspended. Von Miller is a perfect example of why PED usage is not a big deal to them. MLB fans on the other hand want to stone these guys.
I’m not 100% sure, but I’m pretty sure Miller was suspended for trying to cheat a test. Maybe it’s immoral to do that. but he could’ve been trying to avoid a marajuana suspension?
No it was for a PED,but my point was how nonchalant NFL fans are about this stuff…
80 game suspension in MLB vs 6 game suspension in NFL both impact you teams season but you feel their absence far more in baseball
Thanks for making me have to see Aybar make this team, Polanco..
How about a deal with the Tribe for Gonzalez?
Okay, you can call me names now.
Did he really think they wouldn’t catch that? And I don’t buy this I didn’t know I consumed it. Stanzo is a controlled substance.
I say let him take a lie detector and if he passes then maybe cut his 80 games to 40 and band the trainer for life because you know what he might of got paid to sabotage him
I can’t figure out if you’re trying to be funny or really believe this…
So your telling me a person could never get jealous of someone else’s success and lie to them about what is in a product to help a player get in better shape
Idiot move by Polanco. Only reason for using this drug is muscle enhancement. It wasn’t accidentally put in his curly fries. Cut him.
It was a dumb move by Polanco, but no way are they gonna cut a soon-to-be 25 year old, who was a large piece, and probably still is, a large piece of their future plans.
Obviously not going to cut him but with Nick Gordon approaching mlb readiness. He may no longer be the top SS option.
Who’s playing second next year? Twins don’t want to extend Dozier. I’ll answer for you it’s Nick Gordon playing second. Which is why he’s been playing second all spring training. Everyone sounds like an idiot saying to cut him. It’s a first time offense.
Obviously it’s idiotic to cut him. Twins do not lack SS prospects though. Gordon could pass him on the depth chart by the time he is ready to return THIS season. That’s not much of a stretch To say a top prospect who is near mlb ready may take his job while he’s out. We’ll see on Dozier .
As a Twins fan and a believer in Polanco, this does hurt. But Minnesota does have some talented middle-infield depth, and at this point in their carriers, a half-year from Escobar and a half-year from Polanco is a toss up anyways. If the Twins were playoff-bound, they aren’t unseated by this.
MLB needs to educate these young Dominican ballplayers on what to not put in their bodies. I’m not trying to single out a particular nationality, but almost all the suspensions are for young Dominicans. These guys are coming from absolute poverty in a very poor country, so they probably don’t have the pharmaceutical education that everyone expects of them. They have lived and breathed baseball from the time they could walk in order to get out of the slums. Most of them did so at the detriment of school. It is almost hard to blame some of them for trying to take shortcuts. Almost.
“MLB needs to educate these young Dominican ballplayers on what to not put in their bodies.”……. Every single MLB player is given a printed list of banned substances including prohibited OTC supplements. They are issued a list banned manufacturers of OTC supplements as well. On top of that there is a list of approved OTC items and mfgs. Additionally there is a 800 # they can call as well as a website with every bit of info incase they lose the hard copy. All of these items are in English as well as Spanish.
In Mexico you can eat meat that contains lots of stuff that will pop you for a USDA test I’m pretty sure in the DR you can find meat that will pop you for mlb tests as well
I’m pretty sure he probably took PED’s and to justify it is plain stupid. Instead of I F up like a man.
I’m positive you have no idea what you’re talking about like most people on here in regards to PEDs
What has been used in Mexican beef is clenbuterol. which has nothing to do with the fact that he has already stated “Unfortunately, what I was given was not that supplement and I take full responsibility for what is in my body,”
It was his responsibility to make sure what he was taking.
Lol. Winstrol in your meat. We want our cows nice and thin here in the DR. Keep them cut up! This argument may have held more weight on an article where someone was popped for a bulking steroid. Not working here.
That settles it! Tigers win the Central! Or not. Maybe trade for Iglesias?
Unless the Twins think 2 of the minor league middle infielders will be able to make the jump to the majors in 2019, this may open the door to discussing a Dozier extension beyond 2018. It may further shed some light on the improved performance out of Polanco that began in mid season 2018. Congratulations Abyar, you just got gifted with a half a season on a MLB roster and unless your performance betrays you during those 80 games, you’ll probably find yourself traded to a different organization in need at the 7/31/18 trade deadline.
Aybar is not getting anything back at the trade deadline.
You’d think the guys would be able to hide that shee-yot better these days.
Or and this is far more likely he probably didn’t intentionally take anything knowingly, now you can retort with something stupid such as he’s responsible for what he puts in his body. I have some skin cream for rosacea on my face that will give me a two year suspension in the ufc. Probably get me a 80 game ban in the mlb. Mlb fans are the most ignorant when it comes to ped talk though.
If you were inn the MLB and had to use that skin cream it would behoove you to go through the channels and get a TUE…it’s not rocket science and your livelihood would depend on it .
Jesus Iver. You ever pop on a DT for work? If you’re so knowledgeable on steroids explain how you accidentally take winstrol? Winstrol’s only Medical use is to treat angiodema. Wanna bet that Polanco has angiodema? He failed the test because he probably got out of shape in the offseason and wanted to or felt like he had to get an edge in getting back down. Could someone accidentally take something that gets them in trouble in the MLB? Yeah, I’m sure it’s possible. But no one failing for stanzolol is doing it by accident. This is a pretty common drug to pop up for professional athletes.
Why does this keep happening?
cause people are stupid. Anyone and at sometime everyone will be drug tested. Just stupid players. Simple as that. Play with fire you get burnt.
Don’t you hate when you accidentally take one of the most straight up obvious PEDs out there instead of something out of the vitamin aisle at Walgreens
The Twins could trade for Tiger’s SS Jose Iglesias. The rebuilding Tigers likely just want to dump his salary.
All the people that are using fake names and no pictures are kind of funny whenhow they say someone should own up to something lol.
Damn that’s not the news you want you club attached to. That being said Eduardo Escobar should be able to fill the SS role offensively at least, with Adrianza as a defensive replacement.
Lots of middle infield options to play with.
Fight the punishment? YOU are responsible for what you put in your body, period. You took something illegal. If caught, and you were caught, you WILL be punished. And you know that going in. It matters not whether you trusted someone you should not have, or did it knowingly.
Twins fans shouldn’t sleep on Aybar. He is back in the American League where he is very familiar with the pitching and he has a chip on his shoulder because he knows he has something to prove
Stanozolol Ben Johnson’s weapon of choice.
Steroids is so terrible and destructive to people. It is amazing this continues to be a big problem and that athletes allow themselves to be subjects of human experimentation for the purpose of sports and entertainment. If society learned that we were giving soldiers such drugs in there training, this would be the greatest of scandals in Congress and people would go to Jail. But do it to hit a baseball… NO PROBLAMO.. No Speaken English.. Bad Vitamins…. It was in GNC… I never had sex with that women,,, etc etc
The use of Steroids, which changes on the way that bone and tissues is layed out in humans, is imorral