Blue Jays’ Orelvis Martinez will receive an 80-game suspension two days after his Major League debut

“Orelvis was upset, disappointed and pretty honest for a young kid when he told us,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider told the Guardians before the team finals. “He is clearly humble and knows he made a mistake. We will support him during the process.”

Martínez is eligible to return for the final six games of the regular season, but will not be eligible for any postseason games this year. He issued a statement apologizing to the Blue Jays and their fans.

“For the past two years I have been trying to start a family with my girlfriend. During the off-season, we visited a fertility clinic in the Dominican Republic and after doing laboratory work, we were prescribed treatment, including a drug called Rejun 50,” Martínez said in a statement from the players’ association.

“Unfortunately, Rejun 50 contains a banned substance called Clomiphene. We wanted to keep this matter private, even within our family, and trusted the doctor who assured us that this treatment did not include performance-enhancing drugs. That’s why I made the mistake of not disclosing this to my team or the MLBPA. That said, I have taken full responsibility for my actions and accepted my suspension.”

Martínez signed with Toronto in July 2018 for a $3.51 million bonus and rose through the Blue Jays’ minor league system. He hit .260 with 16 home runs, 46 RBIs and an .867 OPS in 63 games this season at Triple-A Buffalo.

“He didn’t know the drug was banned, but it’s clearly a big mistake,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in the visiting dugout at Progressive Field. “We are obviously extremely disappointed and very surprised.”

Martínez will lose about half his salary. His contract calls for $740,000 in the major leagues and $120,600 in the minors, both minimums.

“I will learn from this experience and return to the field in September,” Martínez said.

He became the eighth player this year to be sanctioned for performance-enhancing drugs, the second in the major league program. Noelvi Marté, a 22-year-old infielder who is the top prospect for the Cincinnati Reds, was suspended for the first 80 games of the season under the Major League program after testing positive for Boldenone.

Five players have been suspended under the minor league program and one under MLB’s new drug program for minor league players assigned outside the United States and Canada.

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