100-game suspension
The league announced the suspension on Friday, citing violations of the minor league drug prevention and treatment program. That didn't exactly paint a clear picture of how or why Carrillo was suspended, at least initially. However, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal is now reporting that his sources have confirmed the suspension is directly connected to Carrillo's name coming up in Biogenesis documents.
Of course we know there are much bigger names that surfaced on those documents, including the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun and Melky Cabrera. But this officially marks the first major fallout since the Miami New Times first reported the story in January, and it could be an indication of things to come for others named in the documents, particularly minor leaguers not currently on a 40-man roster.
Rosenthal explains:
Baseball enjoys greater jurisdiction over minor leaguers like Carrillo than major leaguers who are protected by the players’ union. When MLB announces the suspension of a major leaguer, it details the nature of his offense.
This is important to note because even though it's clear the suspension is connected to Biogenesis, the exact reason has yet to be revealed. It could be that there's enough overwhelming evidence to determine Carrillo's involvement, but there's also speculation it could stem from Carrillo failing to cooperate in MLB's investigation.
Obviously, we know that wouldn't be enough to suspend a major league player who is protected by the union, but MLB could be showing their willingness to flex their muscles when and where they can to get some justice. I imagine we'll have a better idea on that when the next shoe drops in the investigation.
For now, though, this is quite a statement by Major League Baseball that is sure to grab the attention of other players involved in the scandal.
