A day after Johan Rojas was abruptly left off the World Baseball Classic roster in his native Dominican Republic, the Philadelphia Phillies outfielder was facing the possibility of receiving an 80-game PED suspension from Major League Baseball. majority report.
more: The former Braves star criticized Jurickson Profar shortly after his PED suspension.
Wilber Sanchez reported on his X account on Sunday that Rojas failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs. This will result in immediate WBC ineligibility and loss of additional games once the MLB regular season begins.
On Monday, Dominican Republic general manager Nelson Cruz told ESPN’s Enrique Rojas that Rojas would miss the tournament due to “personal reasons.”
Now it appears the Phillies may be without one of their best defensive players for half the season. The first time a player fails a PED test, he or she will be suspended for 80 games.
Rojas, a three-season veteran of the Phillies’ outfield, recorded an above-average five outs in the Phillies’ outfield despite playing in only 71 games. He hit .224/.280/.289 in 172 plate appearances.
Junior Lake will replace Rojas on the WBC’s Dominican roster starting this week.
According to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, Rojas practiced with the Phillies in Clearwater on Tuesday and still has a locker in the team’s clubhouse.
Gelb and Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Tuesday that Rojas is appealing his suspension.
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