Yankees' Beresford, Thompson suspended

Yankees Minor Leaguers Andy Beresford and Bo Thompson were suspended 50 games apiece Monday after both tested positive for using amphetamines.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said both players will serve their suspensions without pay immediately following their violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Beresford, a 24-year-old right-hander, was the Yankees' 19th-round pick last year out of UNLV. He debuted last summer with Class A Short Season Staten Island and has split the 2014 campaign between Staten Island and Class A Charleston, going a combined 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 61 innings over 18 games, including 11 starts.

Thompson, whose given name is Leonard, was the Yankees' 13th-round pick in June out of The Citadel, where he hit .315 with a team-leading nine homers and 42 RBIs as a junior. He led the team in walks and had the fewest strikeouts before deciding to bypass his senior year of college by signing with New York.

The 21-year-old first baseman made his Minor League debut June 15 with Staten Island before being reassigned to one of the Yankees' two Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliates on July 8. Overall, he's batting .182 with a homer, 13 runs scored and 10 RBIs in 99 at-bats over 31 games.

Amphetamines are considered a stimulant and a performance-enhancing substance by the Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Minor Leaguers who test positive for PEDs are subject to a 50-game suspension upon their first violation.

Forty-eight players have been suspended in 2014 for violations of the Minor League drug program.