Tigers Minor League pitcher Spenser Watkins received a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball on Monday after a second positive test for a drug of abuse.
Watkins, who opened the season this month in the rotation at Class A West Michigan, will begin serving the suspension immediately. He would be eligible to return June 11.
"The Detroit Tigers recognize the suspension of Spenser Watkins for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program as a measure taken in the best interest of the game, and the ballclub continues to fully support this policy," the team said in a statement. "The Tigers' organization will have no further comment on Watkins' suspension."
Tigers shortstop prospect JaCoby Jones is currently serving a 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse, a suspension that came down while he was playing in the Arizona Fall League.
Watkins was a 30th-round Draft pick by the Tigers in 2014 out of Western Oregon University who has had surprising results on his way up the farm system. The 23-year-old right-hander posted a 5-4 record and 2.48 ERA in 16 games, 15 of them starts, between short-season Class A Connecticut and West Michigan last season.