Giants' Graybill, Braves' Hodgson suspended

NEW YORK -- Giants ninth-round pick David Graybill and 17-year-old Braves right-hander Alger Hodgson were suspended on Tuesday after both tested positive for banned substances.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Graybill received a 50-game suspension without pay after a second positive test for a drug of abuse, while Hodgson was handed a 72-game suspension without pay following a positive test for Stanozolol. Both will begin serving their suspensions in June at the start of the Arizona and Dominican Summer League seasons.

Graybill, 22, was drafted by the Giants last summer out of Arizona State and appeared in five games for San Francisco's Rookie-level AZL affiliate in 2015. He struck out two, walked four and allowed six runs on six hits in three innings.

The right-hander converted to pitching in 2015 with ASU after batting injuries as an infielder. He pitched in just 8 1/3 innings last year at Arizona State, striking out nine and walking nine in nine outings, but it was enough for the Giants to select him in the ninth round. He'd previously been drafted by the Yankees in 2014 and the Dodgers in 2012.

Hodgson, a native of Nicaragua, was just 16 when he signed with Atlanta on Jan. 12 after working out at an academy in the Dominican Republic. He reportedly owns a 94 mph fastball but has not yet appeared in a Minor League game.

Stanozolol is a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone that is sometimes prescribed by veterinarians to encourage muscle growth, red blood cell production, bone density and to stimulate the appetite of weakened animals.

Substances considered "drugs of abuse" under the Minor League drug program include anything considered a Schedule I and II controlled substance in the U.S. That list includes marijuana, synthetic THC, cocaine, MDA, Ecstasy, opiates like heroin and morphine and other drugs like "bath salts," LSD and PCP. Players who test positive for a drug of abuse are given a warning and must have a follow-up test, while a second violation results in a 50-game suspension.

Major League Baseball has suspended 36 players this year for violations of the Minor League drug program.