Polanco Positive

The Twins lost shortstop Jorge Polanco to a positive drug test:

Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco has been suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy.

Polanco tested positive for the drug Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance.

Here is Polanco’s statement:

“Today, I have regretfully accepted my 80-game suspension for testing positive for Stanozolol. To be clear, I did not intentionally consume this steroid. I now know, however, that my intention alone is not a good enough excuse and I will pay the price for my error in judgment. 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. Every bone in my body wants to appeal this suspension but out of respect for Derek Falvey, Thad Levine, Paul Molitor, my coaches, my teammates, and the entire Twins organization, I have decided to withdraw my request to appeal and will begin serving my suspension immediately. My hope is that through this extremely disappointing situation other players will learn from my mistake.

“I hope that those who have believed in me, those within the Twins organization, my teammates, and the fans in Minnesota and in the Dominican Republic will accept my sincere apology. I will continue to train hard every day in the hopes of being able to contribute to winning baseball games with the Twins later this year.”

Offensively, Eduardo Escobar versus Polanco should not hurt that much. It might even help defensively. Overall, it probably hurts Polanco more than the Twins.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2HKTzei