Two MLB Players Suspended For More Than Sticky Stuff

NEW YORK (AP) — Turns out Héctor Santiago was using more than sticky stuff.

The Seattle Mariners pitcher was suspended for 80 games Thursday by Major League Baseball following a positive test for external testosterone, exactly one month after he was banned for 10 games when he became the first player penalized under the sport’s crackdown on grip-enhancing substances.

While the sticky substance penalty was with pay, the suspension under MLB’s drug program will cost him about half his $700,000 major league salary.

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“In 2020, while I was not on the roster of a MLB club, I consulted a licensed physician in Puerto Rico who diagnosed me with a condition and recommended hormonal replacement therapy,” Santiago said in a statement issued through the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Also, Washington Nationals infielder Starlin Castro has been suspended for 30 games without pay and fined an undisclosed amount for violating Major League Baseball’s policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

Shortly after MLB announced the penalty Friday, the Nationals said they would release Castro when the ban concludes.

Castro will be ineligible for the postseason under the terms of the suspension and will be required to undergo evaluation and treatment, MLB said.

“Having reviewed all the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Castro violated our policy and that discipline is appropriate,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

Castro was was accused of sexual assault in connection with a 2011 incident in Chicago but was not charged.

The 31-year-old Castro is a 12-year major league veteran and a four-time All-Star who has played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. He played 87 games for Washington this season, mostly starting at third base.