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Pirates righty Perez among four suspended

Twins' Camacho, Orioles' Dennis, Mets' Martinez also test positive
December 23, 2015

It's shaping up to be a pensive end of the year for four Minor Leaguers, as The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball doled out suspensions amounting to a total of 250 games on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh right-handed pitcher Clario Perez, Baltimore left-handed pitcher Will Dennis, New York Mets right-handed pitcher Jose Martinez and Minnesota catcher Kerby Camacho have tested positive for banned substances in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, according to a statement from Major League Baseball.

Perez, the most advanced of the lot, climbed to Double-A ball for the first time in 2015, his seventh professional season. The 23-year-old reliever will be required to miss 80 games at the start of the 2016 campaign, having tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing drug sometimes used by veterinarians to promote muscle growth in weakened animals. Perez went 2-3 with a 1.79 ERA and three saves over 24 appearances for Class A Advanced Bradenton this season before being promoted to Altoona, where he was 0-1 with a 3.89 ERA and one save over 20 appearances.

Martinez, who turns 22 on Jan. 18, also tested positive for Stanozolol, and he's been ousted for 60 games. This was his second year as a pro, and the native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, advanced from the Dominican Summer League to the Gulf Coast League this season, going 3-0 with a 4.10 ERA and two saves in two opportunities between the two Rookie-level circuits.

Camacho, 18, faces a 60-game suspension after testing positive for Nandrolone, which is a performance-enhancing drug sometimes prescribed to help treat osteoporosis in older women. Like Stanozolol, it's an anabolic steroid that boosts bone density and muscle growth and can increase appetite. The 11th-round pick of the 2015 Draft played 19 games for the GCL Twins this year, going 5-for-54 (.093) with a home run, a double and five RBIs.

Dennis is out for 50 games, having tested positive for Methylenedioxyamphetamine, also known as MDA or Sally, which is a stimulant with no accepted medical uses. The 22-year-old southpaw was drafted in the 23rd round this year and went 4-2 with a 4.07 ERA and one save in one opportunity over 16 relief appearances between the GCL Orioles and the Class A Short-Season Aberdeen IronBirds of the New York-Penn League.

The Office of the Commissioner has suspended nine players for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program this month.

Josh Jackson is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @JoshJacksonMiLB.