Drug test derails debut

Martinez blames fertility medication after being suspended 80 games

- MIKE WILNER

Orelvis Martinez hit 16 home runs in Triple-A Buffalo this season, which helped earn him a promotion to the Blue Jays.

Two days after his major-league debut, Orelvis Martinez’s career was placed on hold.

The Dominican infielder, the Blue Jays’ top position-playing prospect, was suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

“We were both surprised and disappointed to learn of Orelvis Martinez’s suspension,” Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a statement released Sunday morning. “We will do everything in our power to ensure Orelvis has learned from this mistake.”

Called up Tuesday to replace the injured Bo Bichette on the Jays’ active roster, Martinez made his first appearance on Friday night in Cleveland, playing second base and going 1-for-3 with a single in the Jays’ 7-1 loss.

Martinez hit 16 home runs in Triple-A Buffalo this season, leading the Jays organization and giving him 74 since the start of 2022.

The drug that turned up on the positive test was clomiphene, often used to treat infertility. When taken by women, it induces ovulation. When taken by men, it increases testosterone levels.