Phillies minor-league pitcher Alec Asher has been suspended 80 games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Not good news for a pitcher trying to prove himself in a new organization. Asher, 24, posted a 9.31 ERA in seven starts with the Phillies last season after coming over from the Rangers in the Cole Hamels trade.
Asher added a two-seam fastball this offseason that resulted in bona fide improvements at Triple A, but those improvements could have also been aided by PEDs.
"The Phillies support Major League Baseball's Joint Prevention and Treatment Program and are disappointed to hear today's news of Alec's violation," the team said in a statement.
Asher is on the DL for Lehigh Valley with a stress fracture in his lower right leg. The 6-foot-4 right-hander was 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA in four starts for the IronPigs.
Asher is not the first Phillie to be suspended for PEDs this season. Left-handed reliever Daniel Stumpf was banned for 80 games on April 14.
