New York, NY – Major League Baseball has suspended three minor league players, including two former first-round picks, following their violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Joshua Sale and Kansas City Royals first baseman Mark Donato were given 50-game suspensions without pay. All three suspensions are effective immediately.
Stroman, who tested positive for methylhexaneamine, was selected by Toronto with the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 First Year Player Draft. The 21-year- old right-hander, currently on the Double-A New Hampshire roster, has gone 3-0 with a 3.26 earned run average over 19 1/3 innings in 15 minor league relief appearances this season.
Sale, who tested positive for methamphetamine and an amphetamine, was the 17th overall selection of the 2010 First Year Player Draft by Tampa Bay. The 21-year-old is batting .264 with 10 homers and 44 RBI in 74 games with Single- A Bowling Green this season. He was named a 2012 Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star.
Donato, taken in the 26th round of the 2012 draft, tested positive for an amphetamine. The 20-year-old is batting .253 with three homers and 27 RBI in 38 games with the Arizona Rookie League Royals this season.
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