Indians prospect Luigi Rodriguez suspended for PEDs

Cleveland Indians outfielder prospect Luigi Rodriguez was suspended for 80 games on Friday for the use of Stanozolol, an substance on MLB’s banned PED list. Rodriguez, 22, was having a breakout season for the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats and recently was named the organization’s No. 22 prospect by MiLB.com.

Entering 2015, much of Rodriguez’s high-ended prospect status had started to fade. He arrived in Single-A Lake County way back in 2012 and still had not advanced to the Double-A level. Even with his impressive 2015 numbers, it’s still pretty rare to see a top-ranked prospect with nearly 400 games at Single-A and High-A combined.

This season, he was batting .293/.335/.492 with 22 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs and 24 steals (eight caught stealings) in 92 games. Compare that to his previous two seasons combined (155 games): .259/.355/.368 with 26 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 23 steals (15 caught stealings). You can see the impressive power and speed that was starting to draw positive attention again.

WFNY’s Michael Bode mentioned Rodriguez as an minor league outfielder to watch in a recent feature. He already was far behind elite prospects Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier on the Indians future priority list, and this suspension certainly hurts his long-term standing.

According to MiLB.com, “Stanozolol is a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone that is sometimes prescribed by veterinarians to encourage muscle growth, red blood cell production, bone density and to stimulate the appetite of weakened animals.” The league office announced an extended investigation into the use of the drug back in April.

Four players were suspended this spring for the use of Stanozolol, including New York Mets closer Jenrry Mejia and Minnesota Twins starter Ervin Santana. Also suspended for 80 games on Friday for the use of the drug was Jose Valverde, currently pitching for the Washington Nationals Triple-A affiliate. The 37-year-old was most famous for his back-to-back All-Star appearances for the Detroit Tigers in 2010-11.