Mariners’ Robinson Cano suspended 80 games for violating drug policy

Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano has been suspended 80 games after for violating Major League Baseball’s joint drug agreement.

Hector Gomez of Deportivo Z 101 first reported the news and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic confirmed it.

Cano was suspended after testing positive for Furosemide, a substance “commonly used to mask PED use,” according to TJ Quinn of ESPN. Quinn also said that the suspension was issued because “MLB was able to prove he was using it to mask a drug.”

Cano released a statement on the news, which can be read below, saying that he accepted the suspension but refuted the claim that he took a performance-enhancing drug.

Cano said that he received the substance from a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic “to treat a medical ailment.” However, he didn’t know that Furosemide was on the list of banned substances.

Cano’s suspension will start immediately, and he will not be back until mid-August. He will also not be eligible for the postseason if the Mariners qualify for it. This news came two days after he broke a bone in his right hand after being hit by a pitch.

A veteran of 14 seasons, the 35-year-old Cano has played in over 150 games in 11 straight seasons, hit over 20 home runs in eight of his last nine campaigns and has had over 94 RBI in six of those nine years. He’s playing in his fifth season with the Mariners after signing a 10-year, $243 million contract back in December 2013 following his ninth season with he Yankees. So far, he has slashed .287/.385/.441 with four homers and 23 RBI.