Cardinals top prospect popped with 80

St. Louis Cardinals minor-league pitcher Leonardo Taveras has been hit with an 80-game suspension following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Clomiphene.

Cardinals minor league pitcher Leonardo Taveras (Peoria) has been suspended 80 games after a positive test for Clomiphene.

— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) June 5, 2023

That substance is seen as a masking agent. It is regularly an estrogen modulator and would not offer any kind of benefit to a baseball player.

The 80-game suspension is the direct result of baseball's minor league drug program. Eight players have been suspended under the minor league program so far this season.

Taveras had a 1-1 record with 2 saves in 20.1 innings of work this season with Peoria, the Cardinals' high-A franchise. The 6-5, 190-pound pitcher is a considered a hard thrower, and he had 38 strikeouts to this point in the season.

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Taveras is considered the No. 18 prospect in the Cardinals system by FanGraphs. While Taveras has a bit of age on him as a 24-year-old prospect, FanGraphs estimates that he will make it to the big leagues by the 2025 season.

That estimation is likely to be impacted by the long suspension that was just handed down to Leonardo Taveras. If the young pitcher had been able to avoid the punishment, that estimation may have been accelerated because the Cardinals are having a difficult season.

Aidan Cotter · 1 hour ago

Aidan Cotter · 1 day ago

Dan Fappiano · 1 day ago

Many expected St. Louis to in the National League Central or at least contend for a playoff spot, but the Cardinals are in last place in the division with a 25-35 record. They are 7.5 games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers.

Pitching has been one of the bigger issues for St. Louis, and unless they start to show some improvement in that area, a playoff berth will be very unlikely.