MLB suspends three more pitchers
Orem Owlz lefty Yancarlos Santiago and former Angels right-hander Ysmael Carmona were suspended for 25 games without pay following a violation of the drug program, while southpaw Kevin Grendell of the Orioles' Gulf Coast League affiliate was handed a 50-game ban after testing positive for Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).
Santiago and Grendell will begin serving their suspensions immediately (the GCL season is over, and Orem won't make the Pioneer League playoffs), while Carmona's will be effective immediately upon his signing with another Major League organization.
The Commissioner's Office did not specify the violations for Santiago and Carmona -- they are the third and fourth players in 2012 to receive a 25-game ban.
Grendell was Baltimore's 11th-round pick in June out of San Pasqual High School in Escondido, Calif. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound lefty was a UC Irvine recruit, but signed with Baltimore and went 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA in seven relief outings this summer.
Carmona pitched in four games for Double-A Arkansas earlier this season, but was released by Anaheim in June. Santiago went 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA in 15 outings for Orem.
Dehydroepiandrosterone, considered a performance-enhancing substance by the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, is a steroid produced naturally in the human body, but also sold as a supplement used to aid muscle growth. The substance has been linked to increased rates of cancer that also has been used to treat lupus. Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo was suspended by the NBA for 10 games last January after testing positive for DHEA.
Major League Baseball has suspended 87 players in 2012 for their violations of the Minor League drug program after 69 players were banned in 2011.
Danny Wild is an editor for MLB.com.