MLB notebook: Cano banned 80 games for positive drug test

Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for the diuretic furosemide, violating MLB’s joint drug agreement.

The suspension is effective immediately. Already on the disabled list with a broken hand suffered last week, the games that eight-time All-Star Cano misses while on the DL will count toward his suspension. Cano, who will not be eligible to return to the field until mid-August, will also be ineligible for the postseason due to the suspension should the Mariners reach the playoffs.

Furosemide is a diuretic, commonly known as Lasix, that is used to treat horses. It has also been known to be used as a masking agent by track athletes.

When Cano went on the disabled list Monday, the Mariners called up veteran infielder Gordon Beckham from Triple-A Tacoma. Beckham is expected to be Cano’s short-time replacement at second base. However, longtime second baseman Dee Gordon, now the Mariners’ center fielder, was doing drills at second base before the team’s Tuesday night game.

–Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock was diagnosed with an avulsion fracture of his left thumb, and the team announced he will be sidelined four to eight weeks.

Pollock, second in the National League with 33 RBIs, made a diving attempt on a line drive off the bat of Milwaukee Brewers pinch hitter Tyler Saladino in the ninth inning Monday. Pollock missed the ball and appeared to roll over his hand with his body weight. Saladino rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

Pollock, 30, hits in the middle of the Arizona lineup but has a history of injuries. He left Monday’s game carrying a team-best .293 average, 44 hits and 11 home runs. Pollock played only 12 games in 2016 after breaking his elbow on a slide at the end of spring training. He missed six weeks with a strained groin in 2017.

–Boston Red Sox right-hander Carson Smith suffered a potentially “major” subluxation of his right shoulder when he threw his glove in the dugout following his outing Monday night, team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters.

The Red Sox placed Smith on the 10-day disabled list, recalling left-hander Bobby Poyner from Triple-A Pawtucket in a corresponding move. There is no timetable for Smith’s return.

Smith served up what ended up being the game-winning home run to Oakland Athletics slugger Khris Davis in the eighth inning of the Red Sox’s 6-5 loss on Monday. He threw his glove in frustration upon leaving the mound.

–The Texas Rangers have placed third baseman Adrian Beltre on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain, the team announced. The move is retroactive to Monday.

Beltre aggravated the hamstring injury in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros on Sunday, his fifth game back in the lineup since missing 12 contests with a previous left hamstring strain.

The 39-year-old Beltre is batting .314 with one homer and 12 RBIs in 29 games this season. He was limited to 94 games last season — his first time playing less than 111 since his rookie year — while battling right calf tightness early in the year and a left hamstring strain in September.

–New York Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes was diagnosed with a strained right hip flexor after undergoing an MRI exam and could be headed to the disabled list.

General manager Sandy Alderson confirmed the results and said the team has held discussions with Cespedes about going on the DL. A decision will likely be made within the next few days.

Cespedes, 32, was slated to be in the starting lineup against the Toronto Blue Jays but was scratched after the team received the exam results. The Mets had him undergo the MRI as a precaution.

–The Cleveland Indians placed center fielder Bradley Zimmer on the 10-day disabled list with a left rib contusion, the team announced. The move is retroactive to May 12.

Zimmer, 25, has played in just one game since crashing into the center field wall at Yankee Stadium while chasing a fly ball on May 5. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout against the Brewers last Wednesday and is batting .224 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 32 games this season.

In corresponding moves, the Indians selected the contract of right-hander Neil Ramirez from Triple-A Columbus and moved left-hander Ryan Merritt to the 60-day disabled list.

–Washington Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton told reporters he believes he can return from the ankle surgery he underwent last Thursday in six weeks.

Eaton had exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle last week to locate and remove a torn chondral flap. No timetable was initially set for his return.

Eaton, who last played April 8 against the New York Mets, was to have his cast removed Tuesday. He revealed to reporters that he damaged his ankle on the play in which he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee last year, which required season-ending surgery. The 29-year-old is hitting .345 with two home runs and five RBIs in eight games this year.

–Help is on the way for the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers as third baseman Justin Turner and second baseman Logan Forsythe were both activated from the 10-day disabled list.

Turner will bat third in his season debut against the Miami Marlins after missing the team’s first 40 games with a left wrist fracture suffered on a hit-by-pitch in spring training. Forsythe has missed 25 games as a result of right shoulder inflammation. He will bat seventh against the Marlins.

The Dodgers are coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds, who entered the series at 10-27 on the season. Los Angeles has lost seven of its last eight and is 16-24, good for fourth in the National League West.

–The St. Louis Cardinals placed right-hander Adam Wainwright on the 10-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation. The move is retroactive to May 14. The Cardinals recalled right-hander Jack Flaherty from Triple-A Memphis to fill the roster spot.

Flaherty, 22, will start the team’s game against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. He is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in two starts with the Cardinals earlier this season.

Wainwright, 1-3 with a 4.00 ERA in four starts this season, is on the disabled list for the second time in the past month with an elbow-related issue. He was activated from the DL to pitch against the San Diego Padres on Sunday before leaving the start after allowing two runs on three hits and six walks in 2 1/3 innings.

–Outfielder Clint Frazier is up with the New York Yankees for the first time this season since a concussion suffered in spring training sent him to the disabled list.

The Yankees recalled Frazier from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, designating right-hander David Hale for assignment in a corresponding move.

Frazier, 23, hit .362 with three home runs and four RBIs in 12 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The highly touted prospect made his major league debut with the Yankees last season, hitting .231 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 134 at-bats across 39 games.

–The Oakland Athletics reinstated outfielder Stephen Piscotty from the bereavement list, optioning right-hander Kendall Graveman to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move.

Piscotty was placed on bereavement Friday, when the Athletics traveled to New York for a series with the Yankees, in order to attend a celebration of life on Monday for his late mother, Gretchen, who died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) last Sunday. She was 55 years old.

Piscotty played twice in Oakland last week, receiving an ovation from the home fans, his teammates and members of the Houston Astros as he stepped up for his first at-bat last Tuesday, hitting a single to right field.

–San Diego Padres rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right hip strain.

Lucchesi might miss only one turn in the rotation due to the Padres’ schedule, which includes two days off in a span of three series. He is eligible to be activated on May 25.

To replace Lucchesi on the roster, the Padres recalled infielder Carlos Asuaje from Triple-A El Paso. Asuaje was optioned on Monday when the Padres promoted slugger Franmil Reyes.

–Chicago White Sox second baseman Yoan Moncada was activated from the disabled list.

Moncada was placed on the disabled list May 5 with left hamstring tightness. Moncada, who turns 23 later this month, is batting .263 with six home runs, 15 RBIs and four stolen bases in 29 games this season.

The White Sox optioned infielder Jose Rondon to Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday to create a roster spot.

–Colorado Rockies All-Star second baseman DJ LeMahieu was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb.

The Rockies recalled infielder Pat Valaika from Triple-A Albuquerque. Valaika was on the Opening Day roster for the Rockies but was optioned to the minors when LeMahieu returned from a strained right hamstring.

LeMahieu was injured Sunday in his third plate appearance against the Milwaukee Brewers. After never spending time on the DL, LeMahieu is in his second DL stint of the season. He was batting .279 with five home runs and 13 RBIs.

–The rebuilding Chicago White Sox hope to give their struggling young starter Carson Fulmer an extra two days between starts, shifting his next scheduled start from Wednesday at Pittsburgh to Friday at home against Texas.

The team announced Tuesday that eight-year veteran Hector Santiago, a 2015 All-Star, will receive a spot start Wednesday.

The former first-round pick Fulmer has had a rocky 2018, going 2-3 with a 6.23 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts). Fulmer, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft, was shelled by the crosstown Cubs in his previous start on Friday, going just 1 2/3 innings while allowing five runs in an 11-2 loss.

–Field Level Media