Marlon Byrd Fails Drug Test, Suspended 50 Games

Recently released outfielder Marlon Byrd has failed a random PED test.  The free agent was subjected to the

random test recently, and Tamoxifen was found in his system.  The drug is often use to treat breast cancer, but in PED circles is used to reduce the side effects of steroids and increase testosterone production.

Byrd will begin serving a 50-game suspension immediately and is now on the restricted list.  The 34-year old has been a free agent since being released by the Red Sox on June 13th.  Byrd started with the Cubs this season before being move to the Red Sox.  He struggled with both clubs, hitting just .210.243/.245 combined.

In a statement, Byrd said:

"“I made an inexcusable mistake. Several years ago, I had surgery for a condition that was private and unrelated to baseball. Last winter, I suffered a recurrence of that condition and I was provided with a medication that resulted in my positive test. Although that medication is on the banned list, I absolutely did not use it for performance enhancement reasons.”"

While Byrd denied using the drug for any sort of enhancement, he admitted to using it while knowing it was on the banned list.  It often gets lost in the shuffle of the PED saga, but the list of banned substances aren’t all performance-enhancing.  In this case, the substance was.

The drug test will have little effect on Byrd’s chances at finding a new home.  It did not seem like any teams were close to signing him.  Byrd was probably looking at a long wait before signing with a new team.  His best shot may have been waiting until a team’s injury situation forced them to take a harder look at Byrd.

It wasn’t long ago that Byrd was a solid contributor.  With the Cubs in 2010, Byrd hit .293/.346/.429 with 12 home runs and 66 RBI.  However, the suspension will forever cloud a career that was surprisingly productive.