Phillies left-hander O'Hare suspended

Chris O'Hare, the Phillies' 23rd-round pick in last year's Draft, was handed a 50-game suspension on Wednesday after his second positive test for a banned substance.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said the 23-year-old left-hander received a 50-game suspension without pay after a second positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension will be effective at the start the 2014 season.

O'Hare, selected out of Fisher College last summer, appeared in five games between three Phillies affiliates in his first taste of the Minors. He went 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in five innings, mostly with Class A Lakewood. The 6-foot-2 southpaw struck out six, walked one and allowed a pair of runs from July 3-9 with the BlueClaws.

O'Hare, a native of Lynnfield, Mass., gained attention at Fisher when he was named the Association of Independent Institutions Pitcher of the Year in 2013 -- he led the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in six categories, finishing 9-1 with a 0.86 ERA and 110 strikeouts, and his senior season included a 28-inning scoreless streak and a 19-strikeout effort in a win over SUNY Canton.

Players are typically issued a warning following a first positive test for a drug of abuse, followed by a 50-game suspension for a second offense. Substances considered "drugs of abuse" by Major League Baseball include cocaine, marijuana, LSD, ecstasy and opiates like heroin, oxycodone, codeine and morphine. Minor Leaguers who test positive for a performance-enhancing substance are subjected to an immediate 50-game suspension.

O'Hare is the 10th player suspended in 2014 for violating the Minor League drug program.