Emmanuel Clase suspended 80-games for PED use

Emmanuel Clase, the young fireballer reliever that enticed the Indians to deal away Corey Kluber last offseason (this offseason? It’s hard to tell what is what anymore), has been suspended 80-games after testing positive for Boldenone.

Indians issued a statement following the suspension:

We were disappointed to learn of today’s suspension of Emmanuel Clase for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support Major League Baseball’s policy and its efforts to eliminate performance-enhancing drugs from our game. We have been in contact with Emmanuel, and we will welcome him back after the discipline has been served. Per the protocol outlined by Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, we will not comment further on the circumstances surrounding this announcement.

At just 22 with a handful of innings under his belt, Clase figures to be a part of the Indians’ bullpen for a long, long time. At least, he did before he took Boldenone and will miss what could amount to a huge chunk of the 2020 season — if there even is one. Assuming he wasn’t a walking Boldenone golem and there is real talent there, there is still plenty of time for him to make a decent career in Cleveland beyond 2020. It’s still incredibly depressing either way.

Clase features a head-turning 100-plus mile-per-hour fastball with movement, which helped him hold a 2.31 ERA in his rookie campaign and a strikeout rate peaking at 9.32 K/9 in Triple-A. It’s what made him a target for the Indians in their pursuit to rid themselves of Corey Kluber’s $17.5 million salary in 2020. But now they’ll will be left with Delino DeShields and hoping that age catches up to Corey Kluber quickly in Texas.