Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday that Milwaukee Brewers right-hander J.C. Mejia has been suspended for 162 games following his second positive test for a performance-enhancing drug.
Mejia, 27, tested positive for Stanozolol, a synthetic steroid derived from testosterone, making him the first player to be suspended under the major league drug agreement since San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. received an 80-game suspension on August 12th of last year for a similar offense.
This suspension comes just over a year after Mejia’s initial 80-game suspension on May 17, 2022, also for a positive test for Stanozolol.
The recurrence of the violation has cast a shadow on his future in the majors.
“The Milwaukee Brewers fully support MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and share in the goal of eliminating performance-enhancing substances from our game,” Brewers President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold said in a statement.
Brewers RHP JC Mejia has received a 162-game suspension after testing positive for the PED Stanozolol, per @AdamMcCalvy
He was suspended 80 games last year for the same substance pic.twitter.com/fJ94LWG7i0
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 20, 2023
Mejia had been sidelined due to right shoulder inflammation since August 15th and was subsequently moved to the 60-day injured list on September 11th. This suspension adds another layer of uncertainty to his future with the team.
During the season, Mejia made nine appearances, posting a 1-0 record with a 5.56 ERA. He recorded 13 strikeouts and issued three walks over 11⅓ innings.
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Mejia is currently in his third major league season, though his performance has been inconsistent, reflected in his career ERA of 8.32 across 28 big league appearances.
Do you think we have seen the last of Mejia in the majors?
In the big picture, what do you think of MLB’s PED testing policy?