Remillard, Walter among five suspended

NEW YORK -- Astros Minor League reliever Andrew Walter and Padres right-hander Travis Remillard were among five players suspended Wednesday for violating the Minor League drug program.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball also announced that free agent right-handers Carlos Artiles and Felix Bautista received 72-game suspensions without pay after testing positive for metabolites of Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance. Fellow free agent Kyle Bacak, a catcher, received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for Amphetamine, a stimulant.

The suspensions of Artiles, Bautista and Bacak will be effective immediately after they sign with another Major League organization.

Artiles, 23, spent last season with the Marlins' affiliate in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League and went 0-3 with a 6.29 ERA in 12 games, including seven starts. Bautista, 20, also pitched for the DSL Marlins and was 0-1 with a 12.41 ERA in eight games, including one start. Bacak, 23, batted .133 with two RBIs in 11 games last year split between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and Short-Season Auburn.

Remillard received a 50-game ban after testing positive for Amphetamine, while Walter was hit with a 50-game suspension following a second positive test for a drug of abuse. Both will serve their penalties at the start of the 2015 season.

Remillard, 22, made his professional debut last summer and was 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 11 relief appearances in the Rookie-level Arizona League. Walter, 25, pitched for Class A Quad Cities and Class A Advanced Lancaster in 2014, going with a 3.46 ERA and 12 saves in 40 relief appearances.

Wednesday's announcement brings to nine the number of Minor Leaguers who have been suspended this year.