New York Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia became the first major leaguer to earn a yearlong ban for two positive drug tests, as he was assessed a 162-game suspension by Major League Baseball on Tuesday.
Mejia again tested positive for stanozolol, a steroid that showed up in a previous test and earned him an 80-game suspension in April.
Following the April positive test, he said in a statement then "I can honestly say I have no idea how a banned substance ended up in my system."
A day before Mejia's suspension, the Mets acquired reliever Tyler Clippard from the Oakland Athletics, and he will immediately assume a prominent relief role for the second-place club.