Headlines

  • Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow
  • Astros To Promote Brice Matthews
  • Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers
  • Yankees Prioritizing Pitching, Also Searching For Infield Help
  • Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays
  • Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Delvin Perez

Top Draft Prospect Delvin Perez Fails Drug Test

By Steve Adams | June 7, 2016 at 11:08pm CDT

11:08pm: Perez tested positive for “an undisclosed performance enhancer,” according to John Manuel and J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Cooper and Manuel cite conversations with “multiple decision makers” in adding that there’s an expectation that he’ll still go in the first round to a team that gets approval from ownership, as his talent will be deemed too enticing to pass up.

Cooper and Manuel also report that University of Kentucky infielder JaVon Shelby tested positive for Adderall, which is considered a performance enhancer despite its common usage as a treatment for ADHD. Shelby isn’t as highly regarded as Perez, though he did rate 260th in BA’s compilation of the top 500 prospects in this year’s draft class.

6:00pm: Top draft prospect Delvin Perez, a shortstop out of Puerto Rico, has been sliding on recent mock drafts from draft experts, and Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the reason for the slide is a failed drug test. ESPN’s Keith Law tweets that he’s heard the same. It’s not clear whether the substance in question was recreational or performance enhancing, but Law adds that he’s been told the substance was not marijuana. Baseball America’s John Manuel adds further context, tweeting that the Major League scouting bureau tests the top 200 prospects in the draft each year and sends results to teams, but this year’s batch of test results are “unusually late” and have not yet been received by MLB clubs.

Perez, still just 17 years of age (he’ll turn 18 in November), has drawn interest as high as No. 2 overall in the draft (the Reds), according to Heyman. While he was projected to go in the top five to 10 selections of the draft earlier this spring, he fell out of the first round entirely on Baseball America’s most recent mock draft (published earlier today) and slid to No. 13 on Law’s latest attempt to map out the first round.

Baseball America’s scouting report (subscription required and wholeheartedly recommended) pegs Perez as a true shortstop with all the tools to stay at the position from a defensive standpoint as well as plus speed and excellent bat speed. MLB.com’s scouting report on Delvin offers many of the same pluses and minuses, as each outlet notes that he needs work on his pitch recognition and approach at the plate. Earlier today, Law called him “the most tooled-up player in the [draft] class” and added that he’s the “ideal high-ceiling selection” for a patient team that is content to wait for the considerable development and refinement which Perez requires (Insider subscription required and recommended here as well).

Details surrounding Perez’s test remain unclear, so for the time being it’s impossible to determine exactly what type of slide he’ll experience in the draft. It’s not uncommon to see high school players that slide in the draft ultimately attend college instead of signing, but per BA’s scouting report, Perez has not committed to a college. Of course, depending on the substance in question, there may not be any type of slide at all; Rockies right-hander Jon Gray tested positive for Adderall in the weeks leading up to the draft and was still selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft, for instance. Braves righty Aaron Blair, who went 36th overall to the Diamondbacks that same year (roughly in line with many of his initial projections), tested positive for Adderall as well.

Share 41 Retweet 13 Send via email0

2016 Amateur Draft Delvin Perez

21 comments
Show all
    Top Stories

    Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow

    Astros To Promote Brice Matthews

    Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers

    Yankees Prioritizing Pitching, Also Searching For Infield Help

    Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays

    Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu

    Trevor Williams To Undergo UCL Surgery

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Recent

    The Opener: 2025 Draft, Pitchers’ Duel, Mets

    Trade Deadline Outlook: New York Yankees

    Trade Deadline Outlook: Atlanta Braves

    Which Other Relievers Might The Orioles Shop?

    Lee Elia Passes Away

    Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow

    Poll: Which Teams Should Make The Biggest Push For Jarren Duran?

    MLB Finalizes Home Run Derby Field

    Astros To Promote Brice Matthews

    Giants Outright Sergio Alcántara

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version