Former Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Welington Castillo has been suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball following a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance.
The commissioner's office said Thursday that Castillo, who now plays for the Chicago White Sox, tested positive for EPO. Erythropoietin is a hormone that stimulates the red blood cell production and often has turned up in the test results for cyclists.
Castillo is the eighth player suspended this year under the major league drug-testing program. In a statement Thursday, he took responsibility for his suspension.
"The positive test resulted from an extremely poor decision that I, and I alone, made. I take full responsibility for my conduct," he said. "I have let many people down, including my family, my teammates, the White Sox organization and its fans, and from my heart, I apologize."
Welington Castillo taking full responsibility for positive PED test pic.twitter.com/i9zGdFxhO3
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 24, 2018
Castillo was acquired by the Diamondbacks in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in June 2015. He batted .261 with 31 home runs, 37 doubles and 118 RBIs in 193 games for the D-backs from 2015-16. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles after the 2016 season.
Castillo is in his ninth major-league season. The Dominican is batting .267 with six homers and 15 RBIs this year on a team that is 15-31.
Barring rainouts, he would be eligible to return Aug, 24 at Detroit. He would lose more than $3.5 million of his $7.25 million salary.
