Miguel Pena suspended for 100 games

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball has announced that left-handed pitcher Miguel Pena of the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs has been suspended 100 games for testing positive for a drug of abuse. It is Pena's third positive test since being drafted in 2011, and his second in two years. 

Pena, 23, was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 draft out of San Jacinto (TX) College. Along with his tremendous physical attributes were known off-field issues, including Pena being sent home from the Cape Cod League in 2010. Placed in Salem out of Spring Training in 2013, Pena was suspended on April 17 for a second failed test. 

Pena was struggling on the mound with Portland, posting a 6.41 ERA and 1.657 WHIP in 60 1/3 innings. His best full season has been with Greenville in 2012, when he had a 2.95 ERA, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.33, and threw six innings as part of a combined no-hitter. 

The suspension will carry well beyond the end of the 2014 season. Pena is the first player in the Red Sox organization to be given a 100-game suspension. Examples of drugs of abuse include marijuana, cocaine, and opiates. These are distinguishable from performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids. 

Photo Credit: Miguel Pena by Kelly O'Connor

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