Giants prospect Brooks suspended 50 games

NEW YORK -- Giants prospect Dylan Brooks and a pair of free agent Minor Leaguers were suspended Thursday after each violated the Minor League drug program.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Brooks received a 50-game suspension without pay following an undisclosed violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. MLB said his ban would be effective at the start of the 2016 Arizona League season in June.

Free agent Minor League infielder Luis Mateo received a 50-game suspension without pay after a positive test for an amphetamine, which is considered a stimulant, and fellow free agent shortstop Tyler Palmer received a 100-game suspension without pay for his refusal to take a drug test.

The pair will serve their suspensions once they sign with another Major League organization.

Brooks, 20, was previously suspended about a year ago on Jan. 23, 2015 when he was flagged for his second positive test for a drug of abuse. He served that punishment and appeared in 17 games for the Rookie-level AZL Giants, going 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 32 innings. The 6-foot-7 reliever was San Francisco's 30th-round pick in the 2013 Draft and is 3-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 73 1/3 career innings over 43 outings.

Mateo, 25, was released by the Braves on Jan. 14 after hitting .228 with four homers, 21 RBIs and seven steals in 92 games across two levels and four teams in 2015. He spent time with Triple-A Gwinnett and Oklahoma City as well as Double-A Tulsa and Mississippi last season after initially signing with the Dodgers last January. Originally the Cardinals' 20th-round pick in 2008, Mateo has batted .247 with 36 home runs and 234 RBIs in 640 career Minor League games.

Palmer was suspended exactly a year ago on Jan. 28, 2015 after testing positive for an amphetamine. He served a 50-game ban but was released by the Yankees on Aug. 21 and did not appear in a Minor League game. The 23-year-old switch-hitting shortstop was originally the Marlins' fourth-round pick in 2011 but suffered an injury to his throwing arm when he broke a glass window and accidentally severed two nerves. He signed with the Yankees in June of 2014 and appeared in 52 games that year, when he hit .260 with three homers and 24 RBIs for New York's Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliates.

Major League Baseball has suspended 11 players this month for violations of the Minor League drug program.