What Effect Does the Blue Jays’ Suspended Orelvis Martinez Have?
Orelvis Martinez, a prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays, was headed to the sidelines almost as soon as he started referring to himself as a major leaguer.
After Bo Bichette was placed on the injured list little over a week ago, Martinez was called up to the active roster and appeared in just one game for Toronto. In his debut, he went one for three and hit a single up the middle off seasoned right-hander Carlos Carrasco of the Guardians.
This past Sunday, Major League Baseball announced that the right-handed hitter would serve an 80-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. Later, the infielder claimed the drug was a component of fertility treatments he was getting during the offseason.
It’s a major faux pas for a professional baseball player if the story rings true, considering the drug tests and numerous resources at Martinez’s disposal to ensure this type of situation can be avoided. Overall, the consequences are what they are and the top position prospect for the Blue Jays won’t be eligible to return until late September.
This is just another setback for a Blue Jays team that, with a record far below.500 and little consistency since Opening Day, can only describe their season as a huge failure. With a 4.55 ERA going into Wednesday’s game against the Red Sox, the club has one of the worst bullpens in the league, and their hitters haven’t been any better. Many regular roster players are doing better than expected; one such player is outfielder George Springer, who has a.581 OPS, which is the second-worst among qualified players.
In a stacked AL East division, there is hardly any margin for error and considering the Blue Jays are trending in the wrong direction as the trade deadline grows near, there is growing suspicion that the club will be more sellers than buyers this year.
So what role does Martinez’s suspension have in this?
Right present, a number of players on the Blue Jays roster were either at Triple-A for a large chunk of the previous season or began the season in Buffalo; players like Addison Barger, Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement, and Spencer Horwitz stand out. Although Daniel Vogelbach, Cavan Biggio, and Santiago Espinal were the Jays’ starting lineup on Opening Day, all three have since been traded or released, making room on the roster for prospects looking to make their major league debuts.
