PHOENIX – Milwaukee Brewers catcher Pedro Severino has been suspended 80 games without pay for the use of the performance-enhancing substance clomiphene, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday morning.
Also known as Clomid, clomiphene is an anti-estrogenic substance commonly used as a masking agent. It also can be used to alter testosterone levels in men.
“The Milwaukee Brewers join Major League Baseball in its efforts to erase performance-enhancing drugs from our game,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said in a statement released by the team.
“The organization fully supports MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We also support Pedro during this time and will welcome him back upon the conclusion of his discipline.”
Severino, 28, signed a one-year, $1.9 million contract Nov. 19 to serve as the backup to all-star Omar Narváez after the Atlanta Braves signed former longtime backup Manny Piña a two-year, $8 million deal four days earlier.
He released a statement through the Major League Baseball Players Association shortly after his suspension was announced.
“I recently learned that I tested positive for Clomiphene, a prohibited substance under Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
“Since late 2020, my wife and I had been trying to start a family unsuccessfully. When we returned to the Dominican Republic after the 2021 season, we sought medical assistance to determine why we had not succeeded. One of the doctors I consulted with prescribed me with a medication to treat infertility issues. Unfortunately, I now know that the medication contained Clomiphene.
“I accept responsibility for this mistake and have decided not to challenge my suspension. I have been a professional baseball player since I was 16 years old, and I have also been in the big leagues for parts of seven seasons. I have been tested over 100 times in my career and I have never had an issue. In my attempt to start a family, I made a mistake.
“With that said, I want to apologize to the Milwaukee Brewers organization, the staff, my teammates and our fans for letting you down. I hope you guys can accept me back in July and we can have a great second half.”
Severino arrived in Phoenix for the start of camp having never caught any of Milwaukee’s pitchers and needing to digest a wealth of information in a short period of time, a task manager Craig Counsell acknowledged likely would carry over to the start of the season.
The accelerated learning curve didn’t affect Severino’s offense, however, as he hit .435 with two home runs, nine runs batted in and an OPS of 1.306.
A veteran of 362 games over seven years in the major leagues, Severino is a career .235 hitter with 33 homers, 133 RBI and an OPS of .677.
He’s coming off his best season — his third with the Baltimore Orioles — in which he produced a line of .247/11/46/.690 while playing in a career-high 113 games.
With Severino now out of the picture until at least early July the Brewers’ next internal options would be Mario Feliciano and Brett Sullivan, who have combined for one major-league plate appearance.
Counsell said earlier in camp he viewed Feliciano and Sullivan as equal on the depth chart, although Feliciano is Milwaukee’s No. 7 overall prospect.
A right-handed hitter, Feliciano made his Brewers debut last May with the team caught in a bind behind the plate. He was sent back to Class AAA Nashville after one game, however, due to a shoulder impingement and missed two months.
Sullivan, a left-handed hitter, signed a one-year deal with the Brewers in the offseason after hitting .223/9/35/.678 in 90 games with Durham — the Tampa Bay Rays’ Class AAA affiliate – in 2021.
He’s logged 593 games in the minors since being drafted in the 17th round in 2015.
There’s also the possibility Milwaukee could seek to add a veteran backup via a waiver claim or a trade.
Either way, with opening day Thursday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Brewers will need to act fast.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism