As if the Cleveland Indians outfield wasn’t already facing problems, it has taken another hit. Outfielder Marlon Byrd has been suspended 162 games for taking a banned substance, ipamorelin. Major League Baseball confirmed the news Wednesday morning.
Marlon Byrd Suspended 162 Games
The Indians have already had one starting outfielder suspended this season, when center fielder Abraham Almonte was busted for violating MLB’s drug policy back in late February. Almonte was hit with an 80-game suspension, and is eligible to return on July 1. The Marlon Byrd suspension certainly hurts a team that was already without their best outfielder in Michael Brantley (who could return from a shoulder injury in a few weeks).
The 38-year-old Byrd was hitting .270 in 115 at-bats, and had slugged five home runs to date this season. Over the last three seasons, Byrd had averaged twenty-four home runs, and was brought in by the Indians late in spring training on a one-year, $1 million (plus incentives) contract. The suspension will not necessarily hurt the team financially, but the team will miss his veteran presence in the locker room.
This is not Byrd’s first bout with PEDs; he was also suspended 50 games in the 2012 season. Since this is his second offense, he will forced to sit out a full season’s worth of games. Byrd could have very well taken his last at-bat with a major league team. If so, he will leave the game with over 1,500 hits, 159 home runs, and an All-Star appearance (2010 with the Chicago Cubs) to his name.
As for the Indians, the corresponding move will most likely be to call up Tyler Naquin from Columbus. Naquin started the season with the Indians, and hit .317 in his brief, sixty-three at-bat appearance. While he is a good contact hitter, he brings little defensively or in the power department.
Many Indians fans will clamor for Clint Frazier or Bradley Zimmer to make their debuts, but both are probably a year away from making the leap. The hot stove doesn’t seem to be a viable option either. Bringing in a big-name talent would require the Indians to trade one of the aforementioned Frazier or Zimmer, but the Indians have said that both are listed as untouchable in trades. For now, the Tribe will have to weather the storm, and use the roundtable of Lonnie Chisenhall, Rajai Davis, Naquin, and Jose Ramirez in the outfield until Brantley and Almonte return.
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