Blue Jays infielder Martinez suspended for 80 games
Toronto Blue Jays’ top prospect Orelvis Martinez has been suspended for 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
June 23, 2024
Official MLB News Release
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced on Sunday that Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Clomiphene, a performance enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
The suspension of Martinez is effective immediately.
Statement from Ross Atkins, Toronto Blue Jays EVP and general manager:
"The Blue Jays fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, and strongly believe in keeping the game on a level playing field.
We were both surprised and disappointed to learn of Orelvis Martinez’s suspension. We will do everything in our power to ensure Orelvis has learned from this mistake.
Orelvis has our support, and we know he will get through this."
Statement from Orelvis Martinez:
"For the past two years, I have been trying to start a family with my girlfriend. During the offseason, we visited a fertility clinic in the Dominican Republic and after getting lab work done, we were prescribed a treatment, which included a medication called Rejun 50.
"Unfortunately, Rejun 50 contains a banned substance called Clomiphene. We wanted to keep this matter private, even within our family, and trusted the doctor who assured us this treatment did not include performance-enhancing drugs. Therefore, I made the mistake of not disclosing this to my team or the MLBPA. With that said, I took full responsibility for my actions and accepted my suspension.
“I want to apologize to my teammates in both Toronto and Buffalo, the Blue Jays organization, and, most importantly, the fans, who have supported me during my career.
I will learn from this experience and come back to the field in September.”