Reds' Marte suspended 80 games for positive PED test
Cincinnati Reds infielder Noelvi Marte has been suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
The 22-year-old tested positive for boldenone, an anabolic steroid, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. He'll begin serving the suspension at the start of the 2024 campaign. Marte will also be ineligible to play in the postseason.
"The Reds fully support Major League Baseball's drug policy and its penalties," the team said in a statement. "We will have no further comment."
Marte is the Reds' top-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com. He made his major-league debut last season after the Reds acquired him in the blockbuster that sent Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners at the 2022 trade deadline.
"I believe in Noelvi Marte completely," Reds manager David Bell said, according to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He's going to get through this. When he does, it's going to be behind him. When he does come back, he's going to be welcomed with open arms. And it's going to be over."
Marte hit .316 with three home runs, seven doubles, and 15 RBIs over 35 games for the Reds last season.