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Astros prospect Wik suspended 50 games

Utility player, 2012 21st-round pick, tests positive for drug of abuse
May 13, 2016

NEW YORK -- Astros Minor Leaguer Marc Wik was suspended 50 games on Friday after testing positive for a banned substance.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said the 23-year-old received a 50-game suspension without pay following a second positive test for a drug of abuse. The punishment is effective immediately.

Wik, a utility player, was hitting .234 with seven RBIs in 23 California League games. He's seen time this season at every infield position and left field after a similarly versatile campaign in 2015 in which he spent the bulk of his time at second base.

The 5-foot-11 left-handed hitter was taken in the 21st round of the 2012 Draft out of Chabot College and has hit .254 with 15 homers, 100 RBIs, 30 stolen bases and a .369 on-base percentage in 276 games across four seasons. Last year, he batted .266 with eight homers and 40 RBIs -- all career highs -- for Class A Advanced Lancaster.

Wik has made headlines before, first when he hit for the cycle on June 2, 2015 and again this offseason when footage of him crashing through an outfield fence in an Australian Baseball League game garnered more than 15,000 views online.

Substances considered "drugs of abuse" under the Minor League drug program include any Schedule I and II controlled substance in the United States. 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 44 players this year for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Danny Wild is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow his MLBlog column, Minoring in Twitter.