Phillies' Rojas has 80-game ban for failed drug test upheld

NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas was suspended for the first 80 games of the season by Major League Baseball on Monday following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone.

Rojas' suspension was announced after a grievance filed by the players' association appealing the discipline was denied by independent arbitrator Martin F. Scheinman.

Barring rainouts, Rojas would be eligible to play for the Phillies on June 25. He would lose $395,305 in salary from his contract, which pays at a rate of $803,500 while in the major leagues and $321,826 while in the minors. If there are no postponements, the suspension would be over 92 days of the 187-day season.

He is ineligible to play in the 2026 postseason.

Rojas, 25, hit .224 with one homer, 18 RBIs and 12 stolen bases for the Phillies last season. He was demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Aug. 1 and didn’t play for Philadelphia during the remainder of the season. Rojas was 3 for 15 with one RBI for the Phillies during spring training this year.

He has a .252 career average with six homers, 73 RBIs and 51 stolen bases over 250 games.

Rojas was slated to play for the the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic roster but was dropped ahead of the tournament.

He is the sixth player disciplined this year for a drug violation, the third under the major league agreement.

Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for the entire season on March 3 after testing positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites. The failed test was Profar’s second offense under the drug rules.

Free agent outfielder Max Kepler was banned for 80 games on Jan. 9 after a positive test for Epitrenbolone.

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