D-backs' Byler, Padres' Dimock suspended

NEW YORK -- D-backs All-Star first baseman Austin Byler and Padres Minor League reliever Michael Dimock received 50-game suspensions on Monday after both tested positive for banned substances.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Byler received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for an amphetamine -- a stimulant -- while Dimock was flagged for a second positive test for a drug of abuse. Both are considered violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The pair will begin serving their bans at the start of the 2016 season.

Byler, 22, was Arizona's 11th-round pick in this year's Draft out of Nevada. The first baseman was a Pioneer League All-Star, earned league Player of the Week honors on Aug. 10 and helped lead Rookie-level Missoula to the league crown earlier this month. The lefty-swinging infielder finished the regular season batting .298 with 15 homers, 57 RBIs and nine stolen bases before excelling in the playoffs, where he went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the championship-clinching game against Idaho Falls on Sept. 16. The Osprey claimed their second Pioneer League crown in four years.

Byler's suspension comes four days after Missoula shortstop Kal Simmons, also a key part of the Osprey's title run, was suspended for 50 games for using amphetamines on Sept. 24. Matt Railey, an outfielder for Missoula, was also suspended for amphetamines on Feb. 23.

Dimock, 25, was originally selected by Houston in the 37th round of the 2012 Draft out of Wake Forest before the Astros traded him to San Diego on June 23, 2014. He made his Triple-A debut this summer but spent most of the season with Double-A San Antonio, finishing a combined 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 60 innings between both teams. A dominant closer in college, the right-handed reliever has gone 14-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 145 career relief outings across four years in the Minors.

Amphetamines are considered a stimulant and a performance-enhancing substance by 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. Players are typically issued a warning following a first positive test for a drug of abuse and a suspension for a second offense. Substances considered "drugs of abuse" by Major League Baseball include cocaine, marijuana, heroin, LSD, ecstasy and other opiates.

Major League Baseball has issued 90 suspensions to 88 players this year for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.