The MLB commissioner’s office announced this morning that Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez has received an 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Clomiphene, a banned performance enhancing substance. The suspension is effective immediately. Martinez has since been placed on the restricted list, and the Blue Jays have selected the contract of outfielder Steward Berroa to replace the infielder on the active and 40-man rosters.
“The Blue Jays fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, and strongly believe in keeping the game on a level playing field,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said in a statement this morning. “We were both surprised and disappointed to hear of Orelvis Martinez’s suspension. We will do everything in our power to ensure Orelvis has learned from this mistake. Orelvis has our support, and we know he will get through this.”
Martinez released a statement of his own via the MLB Players Association:
“For the past two years, I have been trying to start a family with my girlfriend. During the offseason, we visited a fertility clinic in the Dominican Republic and after getting lab work done, we were prescribed a treatment, which included a medication called Rejun 50. Unfortunately, Rejun 50 contains a banned substance called Clomiphene.
We wanted to keep this matter private, even within our family, and trusted the doctor who assured us this treatment did not include performance enhancing drugs. Therefore, I made the mistake of not disclosing this to my team or the MLBPA. With that said, I took full responsibility for my actions and accepted my suspension.
I want to apologize to my teammates in both Buffalo and Toronto, the Blue Jays organization, and most importantly, the fans who have supported me during my career. I will learn from this experience and come back to the field in September.”
The news is a major blow to the Blue Jays, who recalled Martinez for his big league debut just this past week to join the club’s infield mix after shortstop Bo Bichette hit the injured list with a calf strain. Martinez has just one game under his belt in the majors so far, having gone 1-for-3 with a strikeout while playing second base in his big league debut on Friday. While Martinez’s big league career had only just begun, he’s long been considered a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport and was in the midst of an excellent showing at Triple-A this year when he received the call to the majors. In 63 games for the club’s Buffalo affiliate this year, Martinez slashed .260/.343/.523 while playing both second and third base.
Now, Martinez’s big league career is on hold just days after it first began. The earliest he’ll be able to return to play in the big leagues is September 23 against the Red Sox, although given the fact that Martinez would be ineligible to participate in the postseason due to his suspension and that date landing just six games before the end of the regular season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Martinez did not end up returning to the majors until the 2025 campaign.
Fortunately for the Blue Jays, the club has plenty of options at its disposal to fill out the club’s infield mix while Bichette is injured, even without Martinez. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has stepped into the everyday role at shortstop since Bichette hit the shelf last week, and the club figures to mix and match between Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, and Spencer Horwitz at second and third base while Bichette is away. The addition of Berroa to the roster mix should allow Schneider to mix into the infield more frequently than he has in recent weeks, as he’s split time between the keystone and left field to this point in the season.
As for Berroa, the 25-year-old made his pro debut with the Jays back in 2017 and has worked his way through the club’s minor league system since then, ultimately reaching Triple-A late last year. He struggled in that initial cup of coffee but has hit fairly well in 62 games at the highest level of the minors this season with a .295/.380/.451 slash line across 222 trips to the plate. Berroa figures to factor into the club’s outfield mix behind regulars Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier, and George Springer alongside Schneider.
“Do you even lift, bro?”
Bro got banned for taking menstrual medication.
People forget that men can menstruate now
How dare we even gender it…
I mean, mostly because sexual reproduction has nothing to do with gender identity
lol
Can I identify as a giraffe even if I’m only 6’0″ tall
Tigers – Only men who continue to deny one particular country has a severe PED crisis, and clean players should not lose a job because MLB refuses to address it.
Yep. Players from the DR account for about for about 11% of MLB rosters but about 50% of the positive PED tests.
I understand dudes are trying to escape crushing poverty but MLB needs to admit the problem and start looking for solutions.
Why is this eerily similar to that data about a race and prisons
I’m not pointing it out to be racist im pointing it out because those numbers are so close
With the American born ballplayer quick becoming a minority with American kids playing other sports, they will see more of these as time goes by.
Halos – Well said!
Poverty is indeed a big reason, but plenty of other countries that are poorer (ie: Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia, Puerto Rico) have managed to produce a much smaller percentage of positive tests.
MLB could help, if they wanted to.
I have a friend who is an Asian woman who cries every time she is pulled over for speeding. Works every time, never got a ticket though she speeds constantly for over 30 years now.
We can stop talking about our views on race and politics now on a baseball site
To end it off as a young man I am sad about how divided our country is it’s like 50 million joe Rogans vs 50 million Michael moores with 50 million random people mixed in between
@Mariners. So right. Common sense and compromise as far as politics (which unfortunately now includes race) is concerned have gone by the wayside in the social media era.
@sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Agreed. I don’t even know why MLBTR allows this in the first place considering that myself and others get banned for baseball conversations that sometimes become energetic.
And yes I know I made a comment, but that was making a point to individuals who are clearly offensive. I understand trolls will bring politics into our sports boards, but when people bring race, that’s a special kind of ignorance. And it strikes a cord with me being multiracial, with a multiracial child and interesting enough, a Caucasian wife who is more aryan in her looks than these dimwits who are spreading their bigotry.
I’m an old white guy who grew up in a small town and it still strikes a chord with me. But I went to college and afterwards played minor league baseball with guys from all over and my best friend for about 35 years is a Japanese lesbian who calls me big brother. So maybe that gave me some perspective.
There are idiots of all races, of course, but that has to do with them, not because of whatever race they are. Generalizations are ridiculous because the great majority of people are good people, period and worth getting to know.
How would you like them to “address” it?
@This one belongs to the Reds
I’m a middle-aged multiracial guy. I played ball in college, but sucked there, so my senior year was the last year of my baseball playing career.
Being multiracial and from diverse South Florida, I had some perpspective, but it grew when I met my wife back in college. She is a white woman that grew up in a small town in North Florida. We met because her soccer practice field was right next to our baseball field. Long story short, she is a super nerd, so after her practices, she would go straight back to her dorm while her teammates did other things. She didn’t like walking across campus alone when it would be dark after practice, so she would walk to her dorm when us baseball players would walk across campus. Since my teammates would try to ‘hit it’ and since I felt I had zero shot at the “blonde white girl from North Florida”, and I had a girlfriend at the time, she felt comfortable walking back with me instead of some of my teammates. She and I got to know each other, and understand the world from our different perspectives and life experiences up to that point in our lives. Some of it involved realizing and understanding misconceptions we had from our upbringings and environments. We became very good friends And by our third year, we were a couple. We still kept learning though because we dealt with bigotry in our families – many of mine upset I was dating a Caucasian woman with blonde hair and blue eyes; and her family where some have stayed away since, and her mom didn’t come to terms until we got engaged, and her dad accepted but struggled with it until he showed he was good after our son became his pride and joy of all his grandkids. She and I have been together all these years and are one person at this point. And we continue to learn things as we go along as we see how people act toward each other over race. We always gain a new perspective – and interesting discussions about it since we do remember are younger days..before we met, when we met, and since then.
And we too, with our relationship with each other, and with meeting other people, find the majority of people being good and worth getting to know. Unfortunately, it’s the small groups of organized hate that make it hard on the rest of us with their garbage, as we see here on this site and many other sites and the world at large. Maybe someday the world will change…but I imagine that will be long after we’re gone, and perhaps when Earth is about to be swallowed up by the Sun.
Like most issues there is nuance involved and you are both right to an extent.
I hope that this is sarcasm because it’s just ridiculous.
I couldn’t disagree more in the sense of this needing to be moderated. People need to interact with each other and establish boundaries as a group. We do not need an authoritarian telling us what we can’t say. If we have a certain problem in society let it show itself on here and we can address this and move on and support MLB first discussions. It is a responsibility and can be annoying surely to have to settle these things down when they crop up here and there but suspending accounts and removing posts creates more anger and disagreement than speaking to one another like fellow human beings and with responsibility; and learning how to if we don’t.
So basically as is common I disagree with bannedmarlinsfanbase and frankly I disagree with what they said about serial killers too. I’m not saying it is not true at all but it is more of an explanation that seems to fit than anything that is clearly true. We wouldn’t want to open the rabbit hole of the fact that there are basic differences genetically and even (collectively and on average) psychologically in different races would we? (Tho they may be from social programming/religion)That’s unacceptable? As is an open mind that doesnt make predetermined, “necessary” facts be true. I certainly am not worrying about sickle cell anemia anytime soon btw.
It’s been going on for years in the DR. MLB looks the other way as if it’s not an issue. Dominican players feel MLB is unfairly targeting Latin players. BS. So wait a minute, they’re only unfairly targeting the Dominican Latin players? How about having some accountability instead?
The problem exists in the grassroots level in the DR. Grown men are pumping kids full of PEDs and taking their bonus money. Your body stops producing as much testosterone when you stop taking PEDS so its rare for dirty players to stay clean. I’d be pissed if I were an American kid trying to make in pro ball and a cheating Dominican takes my job. It’s happened 100s probably 1000s of times. Stiffer penalties and accountability need to happen.
You’re going to get grilled here but you’re 100 percent correct. The problem cannot be fixed because idiots can’t wrap their heads around that the majority of players caught are from a small country. How is the problem going to be fixed when you fail to face the facts? Idiots.
Banned – If by “energetic” you mean personal attacks and name-calling, those bans are warranted.
Please stop with the politics and stick to the topic. Tell us what should be done to help end the PED epidemic in one particular country?
Investigate scouts that are pumping PEDs into children and stealing their bonus money?? Instead of looking the other way and pretending one country is not causing most of the ped issues
Rishi – I generally agree with you, but all too often I see comments sections hijacked by politics and most of us here follow baseball in large part to get away from politics.
Personally I’m okay with occasionally straying off topic if it’s friendly chatter, but politics is rarely friendly.
So what do you think should be done to combat the PED epidemic in one particular country that has led to so many players cheating others out of a job?
Moley – Well said!!
Problems never go away by ignoring them, and I think nearly everyone is aware of the PED epidemic in one particular country. They just try to ignore it.
I’m not saying there can’t be any moderation necessarily. I would also say that “off topic” is a bit subjective although I know I’m stretching it there but nothing is ever disconnected from everything else as an isolated “event”. This is a basic problem in many avenues of western logic. I sympathize that you want an escape from politics. I do too. But this stuff on the ballfield is inherently connected to culture, environment, etc. That said this is kindof a devils advocate from me. As for the PEDs (lol) education is useful but businessmen won’t care until things like this happen that effect them more often. Perhaps keep them under constant surveillance…an attempt at irony considering my original post.
Dark – I would start with the many baseball academies in the DR that are of course funded by MLB. If they wanted to, MLB could lean heavily on the DR to clean up their act.
PED’s have always been very easy for children to get in the DR, many famous baseball people including ARod have talked about it. No prescription is required and PED’s are very inexpensive. The DR government should regulate them, they should ensure they are sold only for legit health purposes and only to adults and for adult usage. MLB could make this happen, but they won’t because MLB wouldn’t be nearly as popular without all it’s Dominican superstars.
Next thing MLB should do is eliminate the buscones, which are basically pimps for young baseball players. These buscones are usually quite sleazy. It’s not just that they supply kids with drugs to increase their chance of earning 30% on signing bonuses, they also steal from the boys, force them to drop out of school when they are as young as 12, and involve them in career-damaging fraud such as lying about their age with fraudulent documents.
I won’t go on because you’re probably bored hearing about the problems of another country, but you need to realize people like ARod and Cano started taking PED’s at a very young age and once you start you can’t stop.
Rishi – It’s not just that political talk is a major turnoff to most here, past experience has shown that most posters simply cannot discuss politics.without going overboard and turning the conversation into something very ugly.
It’s the same thing with Domestic Violence articles, comments are not allowed because in the past they’ve gone in a very dark direction.
Do you believe that white people proportionally commit the same amount of violent crimes as black people?
What a stupid comment. There have been plenty of hispanic and black killers that have done more than 3
If you have ever been around black people, you would know that they are 100 times more racist/hateful to their own people in regards to interracial relationships. Go to any black message board and see how black women talk about a black male dating a white girl
You saying it doesn’t make it so. Stats don’t lie.
What a lot of hot air. You have no idea what you are talking about. Serial killers are very good at what they do and are hard to catch , authorities spend tons of money and time chasing them
Is this Twitter or MLBTR? Oh boy, here we go with Whites being the scum of the world from probably a white MuleorAstroMule
Do you know that the white race population in America as a whole is nearly more than all other races in America combined, but the White & Asian crime rate by percentage is the lowest in America? You are pretty dumb with your post. Stats show if you have 100 Whites & Asian mixed & 10 of the Other races the 10 other races will commit more crimes than the 100 white & Asians combined. Its not my numbers it’s the FBI crime numbers. Do homework b4 being stupid
My primary job is in sales and the best thing about it, by far, is the people I meet. From all walks of life and backgrounds but almost always with hearts in the right places.
We might see different solutions to the problems at hand, but that’s fine. We all want the best for as many folks as possible.
The BEST thing we can do is put down the Faux News and fellow divisive media outlets and realize having a different opinion isn’t being a hater or hating America or anything like that.
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
By the math we’re about 2 generations from having so many biracial couples and offspring that race should get diluted to the point of no longer mattering.
We lead the world in biracial marriage rate by a country mile. I’m in one and have a biracial kid (wife is from Asia). Roughly 18% of the marriages in the US are biracial nowadays and that has exploded from less than 3% in the early 80s.
That’s a great sign most parents are like mine and my wife’s and teaching kids what really matters.
Those small outspoken groups that oppose this are better organized now and I think they realize their time is about up. I highly recommend the NatGeo show Trafficked’s recent episode on white supremacy, though, to realize how organized and dangerous that movement currently is.
Thanks for visiting.
Now take this s*** back to OutKick.
Yes it’s widely used in post cycle therapy. Doctors give it to patients with low test.
Clomiphene citrate, also known by the brand name Clomid, is sometimes prescribed off-label to treat male infertility and low testosterone levels.
It’s the same drug used to treat women who aren’t ovulating. Clomid works by tricking the brain into thinking there’s not enough testosterone in the body, which causes the body to increase its natural production of the hormone
Clomid, or clomiphene citrate, is extensively used in post-cycle therapy (PCT) to mitigate the side effects of anabolic steroid use and restore natural testosterone levels in bodybuilders and athletes. As a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), Clomid effectively stimulates the pituitary gland to produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are crucial for testosterone production. Often used in conjunction with Nolvadex (tamoxifen), another SERM, the combination enhances the efficacy of PCT by offering a synergistic approach to rebalancing hormones.
I’ve taken it before for hormonal imbalance. It’s mainly for women but given to men when their estrogen and testosterone levels are out of whack causing unhealthy sperm. His story makes sense
This is pretty disappointing. Is a season of when it rains it pours this year for Jays fans.
Orelvis Martinez looking to ovulate.
What is clomiphene used for?
Clomiphene is used to induce ovulation (egg production) in women who do not produce ova (eggs) but wish to become pregnant (infertility). Clomiphene is in a class of medications called ovulatory stimulants. It works similarly to estrogen, a female hormone that causes eggs to develop in the ovaries and be released.
Clomiphene is an extremely common drug used when a person finishes a steroid cycle.
Clomiphene citrate, also known by the brand name Clomid, is sometimes prescribed off-label to treat male infertility and low testosterone levels.
It’s the same drug used to treat women who aren’t ovulating. Clomid works by tricking the brain into thinking there’s not enough testosterone in the body, which causes the body to increase its natural production of the hormone
I’m wondering if he meant “Rezum 50” and not Rejum 50. Because Rezum has sildenafil in it.
Clomid, or clomiphene citrate, is extensively used in post-cycle therapy (PCT) to mitigate the side effects of anabolic steroid use and restore natural testosterone levels in bodybuilders and athletes. As a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), Clomid effectively stimulates the pituitary gland to produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are crucial for testosterone production. Often used in conjunction with Nolvadex (tamoxifen), another SERM, the combination enhances the efficacy of PCT by offering a synergistic approach to rebalancing hormones.
Leave the man alone! He’s just trying to get himself pregnant. Is that so wrong? 😉
His swimmers are short staffed apparently.
He suffers from PMS syndrome hahaha
Bummer, just made his debut. Was really looking forward to seeing what he could do in the show after a good run through the minors.
I hope everyone reads the updated article and gives the juvenile comments a rest.
Idiot
Pot or kettle?
No excuse – Martinez would be better off not issuing such a ridiculous statement.
Ridiculous how?
A simple Google search:
“Clomiphene citrate, also known by the brand name Clomid, is sometimes prescribed off-label to treat male infertility and low testosterone levels.
It’s the same drug used to treat women who aren’t ovulating. Clomid works by tricking the brain into thinking there’s not enough testosterone in the body, which causes the body to increase its natural production of the hormone”
Nonsense. Players are repeatedly warned about disclosing any potential substances that would trigger a positive test. No excuse – Martinez should have known better.
He did, he’s a liar
Clomid, or clomiphene citrate, is extensively used in post-cycle therapy (PCT) to mitigate the side effects of anabolic steroid use and restore natural testosterone levels in bodybuilders and athletes. As a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), Clomid effectively stimulates the pituitary gland to produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are crucial for testosterone production. Often used in conjunction with Nolvadex (tamoxifen), another SERM, the combination enhances the efficacy of PCT by offering a synergistic approach to rebalancing hormones.
Thank you. Bottom line, even giving him the benefit of the doubt, at minimum he knew he was supposed to disclose he was taking it. So it is what it is.
He went the Manny Ramirez route.
Right, I vaguely remember Manny getting dinged for PEDs that were fertility pills or something like that.
I guess that means no “Orelvis has left the building” HR calls
Came here solely to make sure someone made this joke.
Ohtani blue jay curse.
This might be the most unique excuse for getting busted for PED use ever.
Props to Orelvis for being so creative!
Not that creative. It’s a major reason Clomid is prescribed. From Google:
“Clomiphene citrate, also known by the brand name Clomid, is sometimes prescribed off-label to treat male infertility and low testosterone levels. It’s the same drug used to treat women who aren’t ovulating.
Clomid works by tricking the brain into thinking there’s not enough testosterone in the body, which causes the body to increase its natural production of the hormone”
How many times are you going to continue posting this?
Probably as many times people make a comment stating he was using a drug that’s prescribed for women.
Clomid, or clomiphene citrate, is extensively used in post-cycle therapy (PCT) to mitigate the side effects of anabolic steroid use and restore natural testosterone levels in bodybuilders and athletes. As a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), Clomid effectively stimulates the pituitary gland to produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are crucial for testosterone production. Often used in conjunction with Nolvadex (tamoxifen), another SERM, the combination enhances the efficacy of PCT by offering a synergistic approach to rebalancing hormones.
He’s probably done in Toronto….current management avoids conflicts in case it upsets a fan…..
Toronto is already done.
Nonsense.
He’s 22, and while this was dumb its not a brand reputation impact to have him back after his suspension
The Current Management NEEDS TO BE DONE !!!
Fire shapiro and his useless carryon baggage atkins !!
Rejun 25mg Tablet is a medicine used to treat male and female infertility. In males, it stimulates hormone production, leading to increased sperm production and improved fertility.
Ya, I got nothing for this…
The team might as well call up Berroa now that he is on the 40 man. He can reduce Springer’s playing time.
Trying to have a baby out of wedlock. Shame. He’s only 22 why does he need a fertility drug to help him out? Maybe he’d shooting blanks.
Y’all need Jebus.
He really thought we were that dumb.
Apparently some are. Didn’t you read some of the apologists in these very comments?
At least he accomplished his first hit and leaves with a career .333 – season is already over for him now.
All he wanted was to enjoy the fruit of his loins. Reason they take it after steroid cycle is to trigger the body back into making testosterone on its own again cause your body stops/slows down producing it naturally when your on steroids. But once off the roids u need to jumpstart your own body to start making it again. Why testicles shrink during cycling, not producing any go-go juice on their own. Wonder what the mlb testing system is like for Domenican summer leagues ? Nice props throwing your “barren” gf under the bus. Viva los ninos y pharmaceuticals.
Neikro
“Nice props throwing your “barren” gf under the bus. ”
Saying that HE was taking a fertility drug is “throwing [his] “barren” gf under the bus”?
What?
Jays season just gets better
He literally just has his debut 24 hours ago
These young kids are so dumb
Tatis, noelvi, orelvis
This game is nothing but full of drug users, trash can bangers and degenerate gamblers
Smh
The same exact PED that Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones got suspended for in UFC. It is used as a masking agent and to restart testosterone production after cycling off of steroids. And this guy insults everybody by claiming it was for fertility.
The Atkins/Shapiro clown show in Toronto needs to end and they can go join fellow former baseball exec/laughingstock Neal Huntington somewhere.
That’s just messed up . The guy is not a doctor . . Personally I don’t care if players do performance drugs , but this is clearly not the case here .
Using something that is known to be used as a masking agent is not a case of PED use?
Your comment is just messed up. It’s a masking agent for steroid users.
I blame shapiro …. !!
Get out of Town ….
Yeah…the team should know what’s going on…I would bet the team delayed his debut, because they knew/suspected something.
Management needs to do the honourable thing and fall on their sword…
Isn’t PED suspensions one of the things where teams cannot replace the player? Since they did, I assume I am mistaken. What are the situations where the team plays “shorthanded”?
When a pitcher gets suspended for sticky stuff or other on field suspensions
The Jays season is a race to the bottom of the worst Jays seasons ever.
Biggest mistake not buying the right masking agent lol
Probably (if u read between the lines )been juicing and using this for post cycle for couple years ( his words) to get his dick up again.
Jays management now wonders what they have.
No juice no power ?
No power…no wins…
Let’s take the guy at his word….it doesn’t hurt. Perhaps, when someone is prescribed a drug, there’s confidential line they can call for information as to whether it’s a banned substance? Encrypted message and respose?
MLB already has that. The MLBPA has a hotline that players can call or log into online and give them the name of any medicine or nutritional supplement they are planning on using to find out if it is banned. If banned, they can get help applying for a theraputic use exemption.
Guys that get caught are not doing this by honest mistake. They are cheaters. Martinez is a doper who was cycling off of steroids.
Nope…it takes two seconds on the Internet to find out information. He screwed up his future because he tried to cheat. He was a top prospect!… if his story is true – he should have had enough doubts and discussed with team doctors. I think he knew what he was doing.
Just angry….somewhere out there is some honest young gun who gave up on baseball, or never received the advanced coaching because they were beat out of a position by a juiced player…..
Probably not. One juiced player does not equal one player not getting a chance. But I get the sentiment.
“Welcome to Major League Baseball–here’s your suspension”…
So…is he pregnant or what?
As always I would feel much better if he just told the truth. Another suspension, another BS PR statement about joe he didn’t know. Puke.
Well, this is his story. It could be true, the same that Tatis story could be true. Or both could be stories to cover the truth.
Shouldn’t he get married first before starting a familia?
Man dominican players can’t quit the PEDs. It’s out of control.
He should have said it was for ringworm. Then everyone would have believed him. 😀
Sounds like he’s vax injured. Infertility rates in both sexes is up 500%!
Hahahahahah good one
Read most of the comments! WOW! Still think too many Latinos are getting suspended! It is not right or wrong. But, obviously certain groups need more education and counseling to avoid being in this trap of suspensions!
This is what happens when you take birthing advice from Mayor Pete and Rachel Levine.
Another on the long list of shapiro and useless atkins high draft signings , that won’t pan out…..Long List…
Fire shapiro !!
Way too many PED heads in the game. Can’t wait till we get back to the deadball era. That’s why I like watching NPB. More skill less PEDs.
Dude never heard of Barry White, little red vino and some of that killer weed.