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Robinson Cano is being suspended for PEDs, according to a report from Dominican Republic reporter Hector Gomez, which has been confirmed by Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal says it will be 80 games for the Seattle Mariners second baseman.
That’s the second big blow for Cano in the last couple of days, as he broke his hand on a hit by pitch over the weekend, an injury expected to keep him out for a couple of months. That injury, combined with the suspension, would seem to mean Cano’s 2018 season is effectively over.
Cano, 35, is slashing .287/.385/.441 this season for the Mariners. He is in the fifth year of a ten year, $240 million deal he signed with Seattle prior to the 2014 season.
Seattle is currently 23-17, in third place in the A.L. West, 1.5 games behind division leaders Houston and Anaheim. Gordon Beckham was initially expected to fill in for Cano, but with him essentially done for the year, the M’s may look outside the organization for an upgrade at second base.
UPDATE — It appears based on what I’m seeing that the suspension can be served while Cano is on the disabled list, so that would mean he would return with 42 games left in Seattle’s season. However, he would be ineligible for postseason play.
In addition, per Jon Heyman, the suspension is for a diuretic, which is used as a masking agent for PEDs.
UPDATE II — MLB has released a statement announcing Cano has been suspended 80 games, effective immediately, for testing positive for the diuretic Furosemide.