D-backs IF Domingo Leyba suspended 80 games for positive steroid test

Major League Baseball suspended Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Domingo Leyba for 80 games due to a positive test for the performance-enhancer Boldenone, the league announced Friday.

He will begin serving the suspension at the start of the 2020 season.

“We support MLB’s Joint Drug Agreement and the penalties for violating that policy,” the D-backs said in a statement. “We were disappointed to learn of this news and hope that Domingo will take the time away from the game to reflect on his actions and learn from his mistakes.”

The 24-year-old appeared in 25 games for the Diamondbacks last year, producing six runs and seven hits while batting .280 with two doubles and a triple. He split time at second base (five games), third base (one game) and shortstop (one game) and was a pinch hitter in 15 games.

Leyba spent most of the season with Triple-A Reno, where he posted 137 hits with 37 doubles and 19 home runs while slashing .300/.351/.519.

“I’m disappointed in the decision that was made by him, and I want to work through it with him. He’s a part of this organization still, and we’ve just got to make sure that while he’s on the restricted list that we walk through the situation so it doesn’t happen again, and support him through a pretty tough time.”

He is the 30th-ranked prospect in the D-backs’ farm system, according to MLB Pipeline.

Boldenone is classified as an anabolic steriod that is a banned substance in MLB. It is primarily produced for veterinary use and is mostly used on horses.

Leyba’s suspension follows the Houston Astros’ Francis Martes earning himself a 162-game ban on Feb. 17 for also testing positive for Boldenone. It was Martes’ second positive test for a performance-enhancing drug.

Leyba joined the D-backs from the Detroit Tigers as part of the 2014 three-team trade involving Didi Gregorius, who went from Arizona to the New York Yankees, and Robbie Ray, who came to the Diamondbacks in the deal.

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