Rays prospect Colome suspended 50 games
Right-hander tests positive for performance-enhancing substance Boldenone
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced Monday that Rays right-hander Alex Colome has received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
The suspension of Colome, who is currently on Tampa Bay's 40-man roster as a member of Triple-A Durham and ranked as the Rays' No. 6 prospect by MLB.com, will be effective at the start of the 2014 regular season.
"We were disappointed to learn of Alex Colome's violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program," the team said in a statement. "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 organization will not comment further on this matter."
Colome, 25, went 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts for the Rays in 2013. After his last start with the Rays, a 6-3 loss to the Tigers on June 28, he was shelved for the rest of the season with a right elbow strain. That was the second consecutive season he suffered a season-ending injury.