Toronto Blue Jays’ Jesus Montero tested positive for a banned substance and received a 50-game suspension.
Jesus Montero of the Toronto Blue Jays received a 50-game suspension yesterday after testing positive for dimethylbutylamine, a banned substance, as Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors reported. The 26-year-old had been playing with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in an attempt to get his career back on track. Through 126 minor league games this year, he hit a solid .311 with 11 home runs.
Certainly, this incident added more complexity to the former top prospect. After receiving much praise for the offense he provided as a catcher initially with the New York Yankees, they traded him to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Michael Pineda. Montero hasn’t quite found his stride in Seattle, never posting above-average results at the major league level.
The Mariners kept giving him more chances, and he always spent at least part of the season with the major league team. The 2013 season was particularly disastrous for the catcher, as he struggled to play well in both the majors and the minors and he tore his meniscus in early June. Worst of all, he accepted a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs as a part of the Biogenesis scandal as soon as he returned.
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He then failed to start the next season on the right note when he arrived at spring training 40 pounds over his target weight. The righty went on to spend most of that season in the minor leagues and failed to avoid controversies in the meantime. The Mariners designated him for assignment a year and one-half later after it became apparent that he did not fit into their future any more, and the Blue Jays scooped him off waivers in an attempt to harvest some value from a player who had so much potential.
Any potential to salvage his future now faces tough odds. For one, he now spends most of his time at either first base or designated hitter, raising the expectations for his offense. If he cannot find a way to legally improve those skills, it seems unlikely that he will receive many more opportunities in the major leagues.
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Another challenge is that he will serve the 50-game suspension at the start of next season, meaning that he will miss out on attempting to fight his way onto a team for Opening Day. Adding in his prior suspension gives teams yet another reason to question the return on any investment in his future.