Major League Baseball has handed down just its ninth suspension of 2014. Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is the first to be handed a drug-related suspension since Alex Rodriguez was banned for the entire 162-game season for PED use.
Davis tested positive for amphetamines and the MLB issued him a 25-game suspension, which will keep him out for the Orioles' remaining 17 games and up to eight postseason games as well. The MLB commissioner's office made the announcement on Friday and shortly thereafter the 2013 home run champion issues a statement of apology, admitting he used Adderall without a therapeutic use exemption.
The MLB's punishment of Davis was only 25 games because amphetamine use does not fall under the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Other suspensions issued this year include violations of the substance abuse policy (1), fighting/initiating a brawl (5), and use of pine tar (1). Davis will be suspended without pay and the 25 games will cost him a total of $961,475, which contributed to the 2014 total of $26,829,323 (Alex Rodriguez contributed to $25 million of that with his suspension).
Davis' absence now leaves the team without their starting first baseman as well as their starting catcher (Matt Wieters) and starting third baseman (Manny Machado) who both sustained season-ending injuries. Davis witnessed a drastic drop in his batting average from .286 in 2013 to .196 this year, but his power numbers have remained somewhat comparable (26 home runs and 72 RBIs this year compared to 53 and 138 in 2013).
Although he hasn't been the 2013 Davis, his suspension is still a big blow to the Orioles lineup, which will likely be without him for at least the first playoff series and possibly the second if they make it that far. It all depends how long each series takes for the Orioles to win, but it'll be a challenge for them to advance beyond the first without the threat of his bat in the lineup.
"I apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Orioles organization and especially the fans," Davis said in a statement issued by the MLB Players Association, via Yahoo! Sports. "I made a mistake by taking Adderall. I had permission to use it in the past, but do not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) this year. I accept my punishment and will begin serving my suspension immediately."
