Phillies left-hander José Alvarado is reinstated following 80-game suspension for positive drug test
Alvarado's return follows an 80-game suspension for violating baseball's performance-enhancing drugs policy.
Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason, possibly impacting manager Rob Thomson's decision on who to use as closer in the final weeks of the regular season. Alvarado was 4-1 with seven saves and a 2.70 ERA before being placed on the restricted list by Major League Baseball on May 18.
Among other closer options in a deep bullpen are Jhoan Duran and Jordan Romano and set-up men Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm.
Alvarado, 30, has 52 career saves, including a career-high 13 in 2024.
At the time of Alvarado's suspension, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the positive test was caused by a weight loss drug Alvarado took during the offseason.
'It's not something he did knowingly,' Dombrowski said. 'I believe that, the way he talked to me.'
Alvarado allowed no runs in five rehab appearances with Lehigh Valley. He allowed four hits, struck out four batters and issued four walks across five innings.
To make room on the 26-man roster, right-hander Nolan Hoffman was optioned to Lehigh Valley. Left-hander Josh Walker was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Alvarado was the second player suspended this year under the big league testing program after Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rams sign OL John Leglue
The Rams signed an offensive lineman for the second straight day on Wednesday. They announced the addition of John Leglue to their 90-man roster. They had an open spot available, so there was no corresponding move. Leglue appeared in one game for the Falcons in 2023 and he made five starts at guard for the Steelers during the 2021 season. He returned to Pittsburgh last season and spent the year on the Steelers' practice squad. The Rams also signed offensive lineman Mike McAllister this week. Both of the new additions could find themselves back on the market when the team makes their cut to 53 players ahead of next Tuesday's deadline.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Are Houston's rookie WRs worth a fantasy stash?
Yahoo Fantasy analyst Matt Harmon and contributor Ray Garvin look at the new faces in the Texans receiving core and explain there's more risk than reward. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript I want to talk to both of the Texans' rookie wide receivers. And I, I do want to talk to both of them here, right? I'm really curious what you think about this situation because, in preseason, uh, it has been Xavier Hutchinson running as the flanker receiver with Christian Kirk in on the slot and Nico Collins obviously at X. And when they go to two receiver sets, it's been Christian Kirk as the second outside receiver. So right now, honestly, even though Jayden Higgins is getting drafted, I don't think either of these two guys are gonna have a big week one role. But it's a long season, man, and like Xavier Hutchinson is a nice role player, but not somebody that you want to rely on. They want one of these two rookies to pop at some point this year. And this is an offense that I think is gonna be much better this year. I, I know the offensive line talent is still a question. But I just think them getting some real coaching in here, getting the pass protection rules right is more important than getting five superstars on the offensive line. CJ Stroud having more control at the line of scrimmage is a very under-discussed story in the fantasy space. That's gonna help a lot, again, from a protection standpoint, him being able to ID things, call things out, be that kind of sheriff at the line of scrimmage. Not every quarterback needs to be the cookie cutter, Shanahan-like quarterback. I think Stroud's gonna thrive with more control at the line of scrimmage because he's so smart, he makes good decisions. He's a football junkie, and he's accurate and he's on time with everything. So this is an offense I want to invest in. And even if Jayden Higgins starts to see, this is the thing that's interesting to me. Is that Higgins, in a weird way, because they were using him at X receiver when Nico Collins wasn't playing, and I think, I actually think he would. If he is an X receiver, he's gonna help Nico move around, which is important to me, but also, I think he should probably play as like a jumbo flanker slot player. But I don't want to forget about Jaylen Noel here. Like Jaylen Noel is a badass, man. Like I, I think one of these two Texas receivers is gonna pop this year. You don't need to necessarily draft them. You need to maybe keep them kind of um, in the back of your mind if one of them starts to play more. And I just think the odds that it's Noel instead of Higgins are pretty even, and it's not discussed that way in the fantasy football space. Close
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Game #128: Athletics at Twins Game Thread
After taking the series opener in Minnesota last night the A's will try to make it two in a row over the Twins, looking to both inch closer to 60 wins while burying the Twins' dwindling playoff chances. Rookie JT Ginn will get the ball to start tonight's contest. His last few times on the mound have not been smooth; he's allowed 12 runs over his past three starts spanning just 11 2/3 frames. The 26-year-old doesn't seem like he's in any immediate danger of losing his spot in the starting rotation with no other obvious options to step into his spot. With the club out of contention and an eye already on the future they can afford to let Ginn work through his struggles in the big leagues but ideally he'd start turning things around against a team that is in free fall. Overall on the year he's posted a 5.04 ERA across 16 appearances (nine starts). Here's how Mark Kotsay ordered tonight's lineup for the middle contest of the series: Then A's will be going with the exact same lineup tonight, and after things worked out well why mess with things, right? That starting nine's opponent tonight? Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. It's been a tough season all around in Minnesota but especially so for the 30-year-old Ober. Over the past three seasons Ober had been a stable arm in the middle of the Twins' rotation with a 3.66 ERA while averaging 22 starts a year. This year he's already made 20 starts but has struggled to a bloated 5.15 ERA that contributed to the team's disappointing season. He's yet to face the A's this year but he shut down the offense a pair of times last season. Minny's lineup for the second game of the series breaks down like this: Two wins in a row? Fingers crossed! Let's go A's!
