MLB suspends Jeffress for 50 games

CHICAGO -- Former Brewers first-round Draft pick Jeremy Jeffress was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday after testing positive for "a drug of abuse."

Jeffress, a right-hander from rural Virginia whose fastball consistently tops 100 mph, went 9-5 with a 3.13 ERA this season for Class A West Virginia and is considered one of the best pitching prospects in Milwaukee's organization. The team drafted him with the 16th overall pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and gave him a $1.55 million signing bonus.

Including Thursday's game against Lexington, West Virginia has only five games remaining on its regular season schedule, so much of Jeffress' suspension will be served in 2008. He'll turn 20 years old next month.

In a statement, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said the team was formulating a plan to rehabilitate Jeffress through the club's employee assistance program.

Jeffress became the second Brewers farmhand this season to be suspended under MLB's drug prevention program, and both are significant prospects. Catcher Angel Salome was slapped with a 50-game suspension in July for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.