Jose D Hernandez, a minor leaguer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has received a suspension from MLB for the 2025 Arizona Complex League after failing a drug test for boldenone and nandrolone performance-enhancing drugs. This violation resulted in a long-term suspension under the minor league drug policy enforced by the baseball organization.
As reported by Matthew Moreno on X, Hernandez’s suspension is also without pay.
The 21-year-old participated in 26 games last season with the ACL Dodgers, achieving a .302 batting average, four home runs, and 21 RBIs. He signed with the team in 2019 and received a signing bonus of $10,000.
Player Suspensions in the Dodgers Organization
In addition to Hernandez, MLB has announced suspensions for twenty players over this year’s PED violations. Of these, nine were affiliated with the minor league system, while another nine were part of the new international minor league initiative.
On the other hand, two players have faced suspensions under the major league drug policy.
For example, Noelvi Marte, a prospect with the Cincinnati Reds, was handed an 80-game suspension last season for testing positive for boldenone.
Likewise, Orelvis Martinez, an infielder with the Toronto Blue Jays, received an 80-game ban on June 23 after testing positive for clemiphene, another performance-enhancing substance, just two days following his major league debut.
Despite MLB having moved beyond the infamous “steroids era,” in which many players, including Barry Bonds, were believed to have used PEDs to boost their performance, doping remains a concern within the sport.
Barry Bonds holds the record for the highest number of career home runs in MLB but has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, owing to ongoing suspicions regarding his PED usage during his career.
Furthermore, Bonds lost his chance for Hall of Fame induction, as his association with PEDs hindered him from reaching the requisite voter threshold from 2013 to 2022.
The issue of doping continues to be significant in professional sports, especially following MLB’s decision in 2022 to suspend steroid testing for players for the first time in almost two decades.
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