The Padres CF becomes the 3rd player in the last 2 years to be suspended by the league.
It was announced today that Padres CF Cameron Maybin is suspended for the next 25 games. This is the reason the Padres were able to call up veteran OF Jeff Francoeur. The suspension is due to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy and reportedly was due to amphetamine usage. Amphetamines are basically a performance enhancing drug, but are not treated as such by the CBA. The first offense is kept quiet and no suspension is given, but mandatory follow-up testing for the player is enacted.. The second offense results in a 25 game suspension and public release of the player's name. This is where we are at with Cameron Maybin.
If a Padres CF getting caught for using amphetamines sounds familiar, that is because it has happened before. Mike Cameron was busted for the same thing after the 2007 season and missed the beginning of the 2008 season. Mike Cameron blamed the failed test on a tainted supplement. Cameron Maybin has a different explanation. Here is a statement released by Maybin:
I have been undergoing treatment for several years for a medical condition, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), for which I previously had a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). Unfortunately, in my attempts to switch back to a medicine that had been previously ok’d, I neglected to follow all the rules and as a result I tested positive. I want to assure everyone that this was a genuine effort to treat my condition and I was not trying in any way to gain an advantage in my baseball career. I understand that I must accept responsibility for this mistake and I will take my punishment and will not challenge my suspension. I apologize to my family, friends, fans, teammates, and the entire Padres organization. I look forward to returning to the field and contributing to the success of my Club.
Maybin is in the 3rd year of a 5 year, $25 million dollar contract that bought out his arbitration years from 2012-2016. He missed most of the 2013 season with a couple of serious injuries and began the current season on the DL. He has played in 62 games this year and was beginning to reestablish himself as one of the premier defensive CFs in the game. He will be eligible to return from the suspension on August 20 against the Dodgers in LA.