Schierholtz suspended for using Ibutamoren

Veteran outfielder Nate Schierholtz was suspended for 80 games on Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Schierholtz, who is currently a free agent, received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Ibutamoren, a growth hormone secretagogue and performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The suspension of Schierholtz is effective immediately upon the 32-year-old signing with another Major League organization.

Schierholtz, who made his Major League debut in 2007, was hitting .246 with three homers and 13 RBIs in 31 games this year with Triple-A Toledo before the Tigers released him on May 23.

The Nevada native was the Giants' second-round pick in the 2003 Draft out of Chabot College and became an Olympian in 2008 with Team USA in Beijing, earning a bronze medal. He was traded to the Phillies in 2012 in a deal for Hunter Pence, signed with the Cubs as a free agent ahead of the 2013 season and inked another Minor League contract with the Nationals in August of 2014. The Rangers signed him in early 2015 before Detroit invited him to Spring Training this past December.

He appeared in 799 Major League games, where he batted .253 with 52 home runs and 228 RBIs, owning a .302 on-base percentage. In 665 career Minor League games, the lefty-swinging outfielder hit .302 with 88 homers, 418 RBIs, 41 steals and a .348 OBP in 2,565 at-bats. 

Ibutamoren stimulates growth hormone production in the body and is believed to aid in the building of muscle mass and bone mineral density, making it a drug typically given to children or older adults who suffer from growth hormone deficiency. Twins righty Logan Lombana was suspended earlier this season for using the substance.

Major League Baseball has issued 64 suspensions to 63 players this year for violations of the Minor League drug program.