Veteran righty Pineiro released, suspended

Veteran right-hander Joel Pineiro's comeback bid took a hit Monday when he was released by the Angels and then suspended by Major League Baseball for using a banned stimulant.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Pineiro received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for heptaminol, a prohibited stimulant in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Pineiro is effective upon him signing with another team.

Pineiro, 35, has appeared in eight Minor League games this season, four with Double-A Tennessee and four more with Triple-A Salt Lake. He signed with the Cubs as a free agent in March but was released June 4 after going 0-1 with a 4.43 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings in the Southern League. The Angels signed him three days later and sent him to Salt Lake, where he was 1-2 with a 7.48 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 21 2/3 frames, pitching most recently June 23 in a loss to Nashville.

The Angels released the struggling righty Monday morning before the Commissioner's Office announced the suspension. Overall, the 12-year Major League veteran was 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA in 44 innings this year.

Heptaminol is an amino alcohol which is used to treat low blood pressure. It's considered a cardiac stimulant and a doping substance. It is most prominently connected with professional cycling.

Pineiro hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2011 with the Angels. He underwent season-ending right labrum surgery in 2012 with Baltimore and missed all of the following season while recovering. This winter, he went 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA in 26 innings over five outings for Ponce in the Puerto Rican Winter League. In his 12 big league seasons, he went 104-93 with a 4.41 ERA in 335 games.

Pineiro is the 34th player to be suspended this year for violating the Minor League drug program.