Red Sox's Hardy, two free agents suspended

NEW YORK -- Red Sox Minor Leaguer Chad Hardy and a pair of free agent right-handers were suspended on Thursday after all three tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Hardy received a 60-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Tamoxifen, while free agents Julio Lugo and Adolfi Telleria were flagged for using Stanozolol. Both received 72-game suspensions.

Hardy, currently with Boston's Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate, will begin serving his suspension immediately, effectively ending his season. Both Lugo and Telleria will need to serve their punishments upon signing with another Major League club.

Tamoxifen goes by several brand names and is considered a hormone therapy drug intended to treat breast cancer, although it is sometimes taken to mask the use of other performance-enhancing substances. 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. MLB has suspended 16 Minor League players this year for using the substance.

Hardy, 19, was Boston's 33rd-round pick out of Paris Junior College in Texas in the 2016 Draft and had appeared in 27 games with the GCL Red Sox, hitting .163 with two homers, five RBIs and 32 strikeouts. He batted .297 with seven homers and 33 RBIs in 49 games for Paris this past season.

Lugo, 19, was released by the Dodgers on Aug. 12 after going 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA in 16 innings over 14 relief outings for the Dodgers' two Rookie-level Dominican Summer League affiliates. The 6-foot-4 Dominican righty signed with Los Angeles in 2013 but did not debut until last year, when he pitched in eight DSL games.

Telleria, 22, was released by the Reds last weekend on Aug. 20. He was 3-3 with a 2.55 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 60 innings for the Rookie-level Arizona League Reds and DSL Reds. The 6-foot-1 right-handed reliever signed with Cincinnati in 2013 and was suspended for 25 games last May when he tested positive for an undisclosed violation.

The Commissioner's Office has issued 79 suspensions to 78 players this year for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.