Philadelphia Phillies reliever José Alvarado was suspended by Major League Baseball on Sunday morning for 80 games after testing positive for exogenous testosterone, a banned performance-enhancing substance. Though the left-hander will be eligible to return in mid-August, MLB rules prevent players who test positive during a season from participating in the postseason. Should the Phillies qualify for what would be their fourth straight playoff appearance, Alvarado will be unavailable.
Signed by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Venezuela in 2012, the bearded flamethrower was traded to Philadelphia in December of 2020. Alvarado had always thrown hard, but upon joining the Phillies, he honed his control and improved his breaking stuff.