Rays top pitching prospect Guerrieri suspended

ST. PETERSBURG -- According to a release Friday afternoon from the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Rays Minor League right-hander Taylor Guerrieri "has received a 50-game suspension without pay after a second positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program."

Considered the organization's top prospect, and No. 28 overall on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list, Guerrieri underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in July and missed the remainder of 2013.

Guerrieri is currently on the roster of Class A Bowling Green of the Midwest League, and his suspension will be effective at the start of the '14 season.

Guerrieri was the Rays' first-round Draft pick in 2011. He went 1-2 with a 1.04 ERA in a dozen starts in '12 to help Class A Short-Season Hudson Valley win the New York-Penn League championship. This season, he earned Midwest League Pitcher of the Week honors on May 13 and was selected to the 2013 All-Star Futures Game at Citi Field in July, but did not participate.