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Cue the “Enhanced Performance” Jokes After Johan Rojas Makes a Diving Catch in Center
Published:
Johan Rojas, ladies and gentlemen:
Rojas is facing an 80-game suspension for a failed PED test. Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic reported that he’s appealing, while the beats in Clearwater said Rojas declined to speak today. He was set to compete for the Dominican Republic during the World Baseball Classic but is no longer participating.
If the appeal fails, he won’t be able to play for the Phillies until late June, though he wasn’t a slam dunk to even make the roster. The Phils have Justin Crawford in center with Brandon Marsh available for spot duty, coming over from left field.
The bigger story is that this is the third Phillies PED suspension in a year. That’s Jose Alvarado, Max Kepler, and now Rojas. Kepler was a free agent when his news broke, and these weren’t high-profile players, not Bryce Harper level, but it’s enough now that you begin to scratch your head and wonder if the Phillies have a drug problem. The only other MLB player to be suspended for PEDS over the past year is Jurickson Profar, so the Phillies have three of the four most recent violations, assuming Rojas’ holds.
Maybe the Phillies don’t like the drugs, but the drugs like them (allegedly) –
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com