Nationals players suspended

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced Friday that two Minor League players from the Washington Nationals have been suspended for violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Ramon Castro has been suspended 105 games and fined an undisclosed amount for two separate violations of the program and Josh Labandeira has been suspended 15 games for his violation.

Castro, a 25-year-old shortstop, was hitting .285 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 34 games for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators. The Venezuelan entered the 2005 season as a lifetime .257 hitter in eight Minor League seasons. He made his Major League debut with Oakland in 2004.

Labandeira, a sixth-round pick of the Montreal Expos in 2001, missed a month of the season with a strained abdominal muscle. The 5-foot-7 shortstop hit .217 with one RBI in 13 games with Harrisburg before being promoted to Triple-A New Orleans, where he hit .400 with two RBIs in six games with the Zephyrs. The former Fresno State Bulldog made his Major League debut with the Expos in 2004, going 0-14 with four strikeouts.