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The Los Angeles Dodger's pitcher Josh Ravin is the latest to receive an 80-game ban for using a banned substance. The right-hander was on the disabled list following a car accident during spring training.
Ravin has only pitched 9.1 innings in the majors, making his debut in 2015. Despite a 25.5 strikeout rate, Ravin struggled allowing three home runs. With an ERA at 6.75 and a FIP barely better at 6.35, it was unclear whether Ravin would have made the major league roster after getting an invitation to spring training.
According to sources, Ravin has tested positive for a banned peptide, which is a protein. This would be somewhat in contrast of the suspensions to Dee Gordon and Chris Colabello, which involved the use of a steroid. The MLB and MLBPA have faced six such suspensions so far this season. We hosted a discussion about what more they could do in tandem to prevent these behaviors.
Update
Both the Dodgers and Ravin have released statements:
Dodgers statement: "We are disappointed to hear that Josh has violated Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program"
— #TBLAYourFriend (@truebluela) May 2, 2016
Ravin (cont'd): "... I was put on antibiotics and lost a total of 20 pounds in less than seven days...."
— #TBLAYourFriend (@truebluela) May 2, 2016
Ravin [4 of 4 tweets]: "...Unfortunately, I was not as careful as I should have been & one of the supplements contained a banned substance"
— #TBLAYourFriend (@truebluela) May 2, 2016
With these statements, Ravin has admitted guilt. It's interesting to learn that the supplement taken was not taken in order to expedite his process of returning from the disabled list, but instead to help with a separate illness. With their statement, the Dodgers and their training staff appear to have had no idea about Ravin's use of the banned substance.