Oakland Athletics prospect Oscar Tovar suspended yet again

Oakland Athletics prospect Oscar Tovar was one of three minor league players suspended on Friday for PEDs.

There is no question about the potential for Oakland Athletics prospect Oscar Tovar. Possessing a mid 90s fastball and a solid slider that can produce a great deal of swings and misses, Tovar would appear to be the type of player that the A’s could have as a building block to the future. Although he had struggled with inconsistency, the 20 year old righty appears to be the type of player that the A’s could look to as a future part of their bullpen.

However, Tovar has struggled with more than his consistency on the mound. In 2016, he was suspended for 25 games for a drug of abuse, causing him to miss a portion of the Arizona League season. Even with that setback, Tovar continued to develop, reaching the New York-Pennsylvania League at just 19 years old.

On Friday, Tovar received another speed bump in his path to the majors. He has been suspended again, one of three minor league pitchers to fail a PED test. Tovar was suspended 50 games for testing positive for Phentermine, an appetite suppressant designed to help people lose weight, but is banned in baseball. Pirates pitcher Christian Charle and Padres pitcher Heriberto Sosa were also suspended after testing positive for the steroid Stanozolol.

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This is a tough blow for Tovar. After shuffling between the rotation and the bullpen over his first three years in the A’s organization, he appeared to have found a home in the bullpen. In his 16 outings, covering 26.1 innings, he produced a solid 2.03 ERA and a 1.350 WHiP, striking out 29 batters while issuing 13 walks. Tovar was particularly effective at the end of the season, not allowing an earned run over his final 16 innings of work.

Tovar also used his ability to sink the ball to his advantage. He did not allow a single home run in 2018, and only has given up four homers, all coming in 2017, over his professional career. With his velocity and ability to keep the ball on the ground, he would appear to have a bright future.

The question is, will he be able to achieve that future? One suspension can be written off as an accident, a careless mistake that does not mean anything. A second suspension is more than enough to make a team look askance at a player, especially in the minors. Tovar has plenty of potential, but he is getting in his own way at this point.

Oakland Athletics prospect Oscar Tovar has been suspended once again, this time for taking a banned weight loss supplement. While he could be a part of the A’s future, that future is once again delayed by his own actions.