White Sox catcher suspended 80 games for PED violation |
Former Cubs catcher and current White Sox backstop Welington Castillo has been suspended 80 games for failing a PED test for Erythropoietin.
Castillo signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the South Siders during the offseason. He will end up losing around half of his $7.25 million salary this season because of the suspension. The White Sox released the following statement on Thursday: "The Chicago White Sox were saddened and disappointed to learn of the suspension of catcher Welington Castillo for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Welington has apologized to the team and his teammates and has taken full responsibility for his actions. He understands and has fallen short of the expectations we have of our players. The White Sox fully support Major League Baseball's policy and its efforts to eliminate performance-enhancing substances from our game." In 2018, Castillo was batting .270 with six homers and 15 RBIs in 32 games. Backup catcher Omar Narvaez will more than likely be thrust into the starting lineup to replace Castillo. This is the second drug suspension in the last week as veteran standout Robinson Cano was busted for a banned diuretic.
