Oakland's Ramón Laureano Suspended 80 Games For PED Violation

Oakland Athletics outfielder Ramón Laureano has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The Commissioner's Office announced the punishment on Friday.

The suspension of Laureano is effective immediately, which means the Texas Rangers will not see Laureano in the opposing lineup. Laureano released the following statement on Friday:

I would never knowingly ingest any banned substance and put the game that I've loved all my life at risk. When I found out that I tested positive for nondrolone, I was shocked. I take great care of my body and have an extremely regimented diet. Based on the minuscule amount that was briefly in my body, I've learned that it is likely that it was contamination of something I ingested.

I have been educated about PEDs through the RBI program and Baseball Factory while growing up. I know I don't need any of that to perform on the baseball field. All my athletic success has come from my hard work, focus and dedication to the game.

I'd like to apologize for the distraction that this might cause my teammates, Billy Beane, David Forst, and the entire Oakland organization, community, and fan base.

I am devastated. Anyone who truly knows me as a person knows how much I love the game and I would never intentionally do something like this.

Oakland is losing a big part of their lineup as they chase the Houston Astros in the American League West division. In 88 games this season, Laureano slashed .246/.317/.443/.760 with 14 homers and 39 RBI.

The newly acquired Starling Marte can help handle some of the duties in center field for the A's. While with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017, Marte was also suspended for 80 games for the same substance as Laureano.

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