Brewers' Williams suspended 50 games

Brewers reliever Mark Williams was suspended for 50 games on Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball indicated that the Brewers' Minor League right-hander received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for an amphetamine in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension is effective immediately.

Williams, a reliever for Class A Advanced Brevard County, is the second Manatees player to test positive for an amphetamine this week -- Brewers No. 17 prospect Nick Delmonico was suspended for 50 games Monday after testing positive for the same performance-enhancing drug after appearing in 37 games with Brevard County this season.

Williams, signed by the Brewers out of an independent league in 2011, is 1-2 with a 1.86 ERA in 24 games between the Manatees and Class A Wisconsin. He's struck out 25 batters in 29 innings while walking 13 and holding batters to a .151 average. The right-hander from Marietta College hasn't allowed a home run this year and has turned in scoreless efforts in eight of his last 10 Florida State League outings.

The 24-year-old debuted in 2011 with Rookie-level Helena, appearing in six games, before spending 2012 with Wisconsin, where he combined with teammate Chad Thompson on a no-hitter against Clinton on May 4, 2012. He went 4-0 with a 3.57 ERA in 28 games last year between Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville.

Williams is the 41st player to be suspended this year for violating the Minor League drug program.