INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Marlon Byrd Suspended 162 Games For PED Use, Career Likely Over

By Mark Suleymanov
Published on: 01:58 PST, Jun 2, 2016

The Cleveland Indians’ outfield was dealt as serious blow yesterday when veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd was suspended for 162 games following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, as first reported by Vince Grzegorek of Cleveland Scene.

This is the second time Byrd has tested positive for PEDs, previously receiving a 50-game suspension for failing a test in 2012. Despite having the option to appeal the suspension, Byrd decided to forgo that process, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported. Byrd and his attorney claimed that a tainted substance triggered a positive result for secretagogue Ipamorelin in his system.

Byrd, 38, was enjoying another solid season for the Indians before the suspension. In 34 games, Byrd was hitting.270/.326/.452 with five home runs and 19 runs batted in (RBIs). While he was doing most of his damage against lefties, Byrd was provided adequate defense, according to FanGraphs.

The 15-year veteran was providing stability on a budget for Cleveland, the team that inked Byrd to a minor league deal during the offseason. However, by his own admission, Byrd’s career is more than likely over.

Following the announcement, Indians manager Terry Francona expressed support for former National League All-Star.

“Marlon came in to talk with his teammates and the coaches and stood up in front of everybody and took responsibility and apologized and also, basically told the guys that his career was over,” Francona said following the suspension. “This is not how he wanted it to end.”

Francona, Byrd’s now-former manager with both the Boston Red Sox and Indians, added that everybody makes mistakes and that the Indians organization still cares for him. However, he described the entire situation as being “kicked in the stomach a little bit.”

The suspension garnered a lot of attention from fellow MLB players on Twitter. Retired pitcher Dan Haren jokingly asked if the home runs Byrd hit off him during their careers can be taken off. He also remembered Byrd defying science last year and going deep against him.

There’s a lot of speculation that Byrd was still using some type of PEDs following his first suspension in 2012. He enjoyed a career renaissance with the New York Mets in 2013, hitting.285/.330/.518 with 21 HR and 71 RBIs through 117 games. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates late in that season, hitting.318/.357/.486 with three HR and 17 RBIs in 30 games.

The year before his 2013 campaign, Byrd mustered a meager.210/.243/.245 line with one HR and nine RBIs in 47 games split between the Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.

That performance earned Byrd a two-year, $16 million with the Philadelphia Phillies that offseason, returning to the team he spent parts of four seasons with to begin his career. Byrd’s solid production continued over those years as he hit.255/.301/.449 with 48 HR and 79 RBI. He did not finish out that contract with Philadelphia as he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2015 season and then the San Francisco Giants during the season.

With Byrd gone, the Indians’ outfield has lost significant depth. The trio of Jose Ramirez, Rajai Davis, and Lonnie Chisenhall figure to take up the most playing time in the outfield. All-Star Michael Brantley is currently dealing with a balky shoulder on the disabled list. Utility man Michael Martinez will likely receive more playing time.

Names such as Tyler Naquin, Joey Butler, and Collin Cowgill also provide depth in the outfield.

If this marks the end of Byrd’s career, he finishes a career.275/.329/.430 hitter with 159 HR and 710 RBIs. Per Baseball-Reference, Byrd pocketed over $38 million during his career.

[Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]

Share this article: Marlon Byrd Suspended 162 Games For PED Use, Career Likely Over
mlb Baseball Cleveland Indians
More from Inquisitr