Phillies

Freddy Galvis Suspended 50 Games, Tested Positive for Banned Substance

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jun 19th, 2012 · 5:12 PM EDT

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BREAKING: Phillies 2B Freddy Galvis suspended 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance.

— MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2012

As if anything else could go wrong or this team could become more hatable right now, Freddy Galvis tested positive for a banned substance and will be suspended for 50 games.  

A statement from Galvis, which was either written by a PR person or translated to coherent English: 

“A trace amount of a banned substance – 80 parts in a trillion – was detected in my urine sample. I am extremely disappointed in what has transpired. I cannot understand how even this tiny particle of a banned substance got into my body.  I have not and never would knowingly use anything illegal to enhance my performance.  I have always tried to follow the team’s strength and conditioning methods, listen to the trainers, work out hard and eat right.  Unfortunately, the rules are the rules and I will be suspended.

“I’d like to apologize to my all my fans, especially here in Philadelphia and back home in Venezuela, to my teammates and to the Phillies organization. I am looking forward to putting this behind me, rehabilitating my back and returning to the Phillies as soon as possible to try to help them win another World Series.”

 

What Galvis really said, on Twitter:

According to Google Translate, that comes out to: Sometimes life is not fair .. but so is she .. you go ahead and pass q page.

Right.

Phillies statement:

The Phillies continue to believe in and endorse Major League Baseball's drug policy.  We also support Freddy Galvis in his determination to put this matter behind him and we look forward to his return as a productive member of the Phillies as soon as possible.

 

Galvis' suspension will start immediately, meaning he either lost the appeal or didn't appeal it.

Whatever it was that Galvis allegedly took, it wasn’t helping that much. He was hitting .226 with three home runs and 24 RBIs in 190 at-bats. But he was outstanding in the field.

Without speculating too much, it's possible that what showed up on his test was something he was taking for his back. Though a lower-back fracture totally seems like the type of side-effect that would result from an undersized second baseman taking super-sizing PEDs. 

Welcome to the bottom, folks.