Major League Baseball has announced a new wave of suspensions, targeting two young right‑handed pitchers who tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid Stanozolol.
Drug Policy Crackdown
Luis Gomez, a 21‑year‑old reliever who posted an 11.00 ERA in 18 appearances for the Florida Complex League Marlins, will serve an 80‑game ban that begins as soon as he signs a major‑league contract. Julio Dilone, 26, who inked a minor‑league deal with the San Diego Padres in spring training, received a 60‑game suspension after a 5.02 ERA across 11 games and 14 1/3 innings.
Dilone’s brief stint with the Padres ended on August 6, when the club released him after his contract was terminated. In his limited action he recorded 20 strikeouts and eight walks, but the performance was insufficient to secure a permanent spot on the roster.
Gomez’s path to the majors has been marked by a modest $10,000 signing bonus from Miami in June 2025, a figure that underscores the financial constraints faced by many aspiring players in the lower tiers.
The suspensions form part of a larger enforcement effort, with MLB having disciplined eleven players this season for various performance‑enhancing substances. Among them, Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar was sidelined for the entire year after a positive test for exogenous testosterone, while free‑agent Max Kepler returned to the majors on June 26 following an 80‑game ban for Epitrenbolone.
The cases have unfolded across several states, including Florida, where the Marlins’ complex‑league operations are based, and Arizona, the home of the Padres’ spring‑training facilities, highlighting the geographic spread of the league’s anti‑doping monitoring.