Giants Reliever Guillermo Mota Suspended 100 Games After Second Failed Drug Test

San Francisco Giants reliever Guillermo Mota was issued a 100 game suspension on Monday after becoming only the third player in MLB history to fail a second drug test.

According to the commissioners office the right-hander tested positive for Clenbuterol.

After the suspension was announced manager Bruce Bochy said:

“We won’t have Mota for a while. It is what it is, and you move on. If we get into a situation where we need a pitcher, we’re going to have to make a change. Right now we’re going with 11 pitchers, and if we have to adjust, we will. We’ve got some pretty good options, we think, and Brian (Sabean) and I will continue to talk about them.”

In defending his players positive drug test Adam Katz said Clenbuterol is readily available in children’s cough syrup:

“Players are responsible for what they put in their bodies. Guillermo understands that. A 100-game suspension for taking a children’s cough medicine that contains trace amounts of a prohibited substance, which is what happened here, is severe and unfair and does not reflect the intention of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We will appeal it.”

A grievance following the decision was already filed by the Major League Baseball Players Association and will now be heard by an arbitrator. While most cases are appealed before a positive drug test is revealed, second offenses are handed a suspension with arbitration and appeals occurring afterwards.

Mota’s first suspension came in November 2006 while pitching for the New York Mets, he was suspended at that time for the first 50 games of the next season.

The only other two MLB players to test positive two times are Manny Ramirez and catcher Eliezer Alfonzo.

Before his suspension Mota was 0-1 on the season with a 5.06 ERA after nine games for the San Francisco Giants.