MLB notebook: Twins SS Polanco suspended 80 games

[March 19, 2018]  Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco was suspended 80 games without pay after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol, the commissioner's office announced Sunday.

The positive test violated Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Polanco's suspension will begin at the start of the 2018 season.

"We were disappointed to learn of the suspension," the Twins said in a statement. "We fully support Major League Baseball's policy and its efforts to eliminate performance-enhancing substances from our game."

Polanco, 24, batted .256 with 13 homers and 74 RBIs last season when the Twins made the playoffs for the first time since 2010. The Dominican Republic native said he didn't knowingly take the banned substance and had asked his personal trainer for a "combination of vitamin B-12 and an iron supplement."

--New York Mets left-hander Jason Vargas will see a specialist after breaking a bone in his non-pitching hand on Friday, the team announced.

Vargas was injured during a minor league game when he attempted to field a line drive. A CT scan on Saturday showed a non-displaced fracture of the hamate bone in his right hand.

Vargas, 35, went 18-11 with a 4.16 ERA in 32 starts last year for the Kansas City Royals after missing most of the previous two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was a 2017 American League All-Star selection after going 12-3 with a 2.62 ERA in the first half. Vargas joined the Mets on a two-year, $16 million deal with a club option for 2020.

--The Royals signed right-handed pitcher Justin Grimm to a one-year, $1.25 million deal, the team announced.

The 29-year-old reliever was released by the Chicago Cubs on Thursday after five seasons with the club. He had been scheduled to make $2.2 million with the Cubs after losing his arbitration case during the offseason.

The Royals also announced that right-hander Sam Gaviglio was designated for assignment.

 

--Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire tabbed Jordan Zimmermann to be his Opening Day starter, saying he "never really thought too much about anybody other than him." Meanwhile, Zimmermann said that he was "shocked" he got the nod over Michael Fulmer.

"He probably deserved it more than me," Zimmermann said, via MLive.com. "I'd have been fine pitching the fifth day, as long as I'm in the rotation."

Zimmermann's 6.08 ERA in 29 starts last season was the highest in the majors of anyone who pitched at least 160 innings. The 31-year-old right-hander has been a disappointment since joining the Tigers on a five-year, $110 million contract, posting a 17-20 record and 5.60 ERA in his two seasons with the team.

--The New York Yankees optioned third baseman Miguel Andujar to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the team announced.

The move ends a battle between Andujar and Brandon Drury to start the season at third base. Andujar hit .262 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in spring training, but he will get time to work on his defense in the minors.

Drury, picked up by the Yankees in a trade last month, hit .271 with 31 home runs and 124 RBIs in three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

--Left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans, one of the top prospects in the Texas Rangers' system, will undergo Tommy John surgery in the next two weeks, the team announced.

Ragans will miss the entire 2018 season. The 20-year-old went 3-2 with a 3.61 ERA in 13 starts with Class-A Spokane last season.

Fellow prospect Kyle Cody, a righty who was the Rangers' minor league pitcher of the year last season, will also miss at least a month with elbow inflammation. He will be re-evaluated at that point.

--Field Level Media

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