Athletics' Laureano suspended 80 games for positive PED test

Major League Baseball announced it has suspended Ramon Laureano 80 games without pay after the Oakland Athletics outfielder tested positive for Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Laureano said he's "devasted" and was surprised by the positive test in a statement through the MLBPA.

"I would never knowingly ingest any banned substance and put the game that I've loved all my life at risk," he said. "When I found out that I tested positive for Nandrolone, I was shocked. I take great care of my body and have an extremely regimented diet. Based on the minuscule amount that was briefly in my body, I've learned that it is likely that it was contamination of something I ingested."

He apologized to his teammates, fans, and the Athletics organization for the distraction.

Oakland will be without Laureano for the remainder of the 2021 season and part of next year.

"The A's were disappointed to learn of this suspension," the team said in a statement, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. "We fully support MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and we will welcome Ramon back after the discipline has been served."

The 27-year-old hit .246/.317/.443 with 14 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 88 games.

Oakland acquired All-Star center fielder Starling Marte at last week's trade deadline. Mark Canha and Stephen Piscotty will likely get the bulk of playing time at the corner outfield spots in Laureano's absence, though the club also signed slugger Khris Davis to a minor-league contract earlier this week.