Cubs' De La Cruz suspended 80 games

Oscar De La Cruz saw his 2016 and 2017 seasons cut short due to injury. Now, his 2018 campaign is already over for a completely different reason.
The Cubs' No. 3 prospect has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for Furosemide, the Commissioner's Office announced Friday.

Furosemide is a diuretic and masking agent banned by Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Because of the timing of the suspension, De La Cruz, who was on Chicago's 40-man roster but was playing at Double-A Tennessee, won't have time left in the Southern or Major League schedule to play again in 2018. He'll be eligible to play after the Cubs' third game next spring.

The 23-year-old right-hander had a 5.24 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 31 walks in his 77 1/3 innings at Double-A this season. That innings pitched already marked a career high. He pitched only 39 innings two years ago because of forearm soreness and totaled 56 2/3 innings in 2017 due to a pectoral injury. The Cubs still added the Dominican Republic native to the 40-man roster last November because his plus fastball and plus curveball made him a solid starting pitcher prospect.
The 6-foot-4 hurler wasn't likely to debut with the Cubs this season, however, especially after struggling for much of the first half in Double-A.
Forty-seven Minor Leaguers have been suspended in 2018 for violating the Minor or Major League drug program.