GCL Mets pitcher suspended 50 games

NEW YORK -- A Rookie-level Mets pitcher became the 60th Minor Leaguer to be suspended this season by Major League Baseball on Friday.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that New York Mets Minor Leaguer Santiago Valdez has received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The suspension of Valdez is effective immediately. He is the eighth Minor Leaguer to be suspended for a positive test this week.

The 22-year-old Valdez was 0-1 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 appearances for the Gulf Coast Mets this season. He also appeared in one game for the Mets' Dominican Summer League club.

Valdez's suspension comes one day after a pair of Yankees DSL players were suspended 50 games and two days after two pitchers, Daniel Christensen of the Seattle Mariners organization and Gabriel Garcia of the Houston Astros organization, were also banned 50 games.

Two other Mets prospects, Pedro De Los Santos and Luis Hernandez of the DSL Mets, were suspended on Monday along with a free agent Minor League pitcher.