Angels' Ramirez banned 100 games

Angels Minor League catcher Carlos Ramirez was suspended for 100 games on Thursday after testing positive for a banned substance for a third time.

Ramirez, 25, will miss the majority of the 2014 season after the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball indicated the Double-A Arkansas catcher was suspended without pay after a third positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Ramirez hit .206 with six homers, 22 RBIs, a stolen base and a .301 on-base percentage in 48 Texas League games last year with the Travelers, the Angels' Double-A affiliate. He's seen time at Arkansas in each of the last three seasons after debuting in 2009 with Rookie-level Orem.

The Tucson native's best season so far came in 2011 when he hit .312 with seven homers, 41 RBIs and a .385 OBP across three levels to earn MiLB.com Organization All-Star honors.

Minor Leaguers who test positive for a drug of abuse are issued a warning upon their first violation and are then suspended 50 games for a second positive test. Players who test positive a third time are then subject to a 100-game ban. Two players in 2013, the Tigers' Cesar Carrillo and the Reds' Dan Tuttle, received 100-game suspensions.

Ramirez, a right-handed catcher, was the Angels' eigth-round pick in the 2009 Draft out of Arizona State. He's the first player to be suspended in 2014 for violating the Minor League drug program -- the Commissioner's Office handed out 60 suspensions in 2013 after banning 105 players in 2012.