Giants' Relaford suspended 100 games

NEW YORK -- Giants shortstop Travious Relaford and former D-backs right-hander Brent Jones were both suspended Monday after testing positive for banned substances.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Relaford received a 100-game suspension without pay following a third positive test for a drug of abuse, while Jones was handed a 50-game ban for his second drug-of-abuse violation. 

Relaford, a 23-year-old infielder, will begin serving his suspension once he finishes his current 50-game ban, which was issued on Nov. 16, 2015, while Jones, who was released by Arizona on April 19, will begin serving his punishment once he signs with another Major League organization.

Relaford, the cousin of former Major Leaguer Desi Relaford, hit .237 with a homer, 36 RBIs and 10 doubles in 312 at-bats over 87 games last with Class A Augusta last year. He was drafted by San Francisco in the 44th round of the 2011 Draft out of Hinds Community College and was a 2014 Northwest League All-Star for Class A Short Season Salem-Keizer. In 290 career Minor League games, the Georgia native has hit .251 with six homers, 108 RBIs and a .339 on-base percentage.

Jones, 23, went 3-7 with a 4.56 ERA in 16 outings last season, 14 of which were starts, across three levels. He spent the bulk of his summer with Class A Kane County, where he was 2-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 11 Midwest League games. The D-backs selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 Draft out of Cornell, and he went 10-10 with a 3.97 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 136 career Minor League innings before being released last week.

Substances considered "drugs of abuse" under the Minor League drug program include anything considered a Schedule I and II controlled substance in the U.S. That list includes marijuana, synthetic THC, cocaine, MDA, Ecstasy, opiates like heroin and morphine and other drugs like "bath salts," LSD and PCP. Players who test positive for a drug of abuse are given a warning and must have a follow-up test, while a second violation results in a 50-game suspension.

Major League Baseball has suspended 40 players this year for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.