An outfielder in the Tampa Bay Rays’ minor league system has received a 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy, according to multiple reports. Cody Rogers received the suspension for refusing to take a drug test, rather than for being caught with an unapproved substance in his system, however.
Rogers, 24, was originally a 7th Round pick in 2009 by the Rays and spent this past season with the team’s High-A affiliate in Charlotte, appearing in 112 games. He hit .244/.312/.343 over 413 plate appearances on the year, adding 4 HR and 38 RBI while striking out almost three times for every walk and stealing 22 bases. Challenged offensively, Rogers has never been considered among the organization’s top outfield prospects and is older than most of the direct competition he’s seen to date in his career. He was listed on Triple-A Durham’s roster at the time the suspension was announced, though it’s unlikely he’d of started the season there as his performance wouldn’t dictate skipping Double-A.