The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Tuesday that outfielder Starling Marte has been suspended 80 games for violating MLB’s joint drug agreement.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, Marte tested positive for a steroid called Nandrolone. The 28-year-old apologized in a statement and assured fans he did not knowingly cheat.
Statement from Starling Marte (translated) pic.twitter.com/ai6yN0lCMU
— Pirates (@Pirates) April 18, 2017
Marte was hitting .241 with two homers and seven RBI this season. The career .288 hitter was off to a slow start, but he has been one of Pittsburgh’s most reliable players in recent years. Marte batted a career-high .311 last season and had an OBP of .362.
