Beckham draws 80-game ban
Tim Beckham’s 2019 season is over. On Tuesday morning, Major League Baseball announced Beckham was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol.
Beckham released a statement through the Major League Baseball Players Association, saying he received a tainted supplement and had appealed the suspension but was denied by an independent arbitrator. He also apologized to the Mariners organization as well as his teammates and the fans.
Beckham started as the Mariners’ Opening-Day starting shortstop and put up prodigious numbers at the plate early in the season. But with that came a myriad errors in the field. He eventually lost his starting job to J.P. Crawford and watched his playing time and production at the plate steadily dwindle.
The 29-year-old former No. 1 overall draft pick hit .237 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs.
Beckham’s time with the Mariners was limited prior to the suspension. He was no longer playing in the infield and was trying to fill space in the outfield, a position he had barely played prior to this season. The Mariners were planning to call up outfield prospect Jake Fraley during this homestand, but a sore quad has delayed that move. Beckham was a candidate to be designated for assignment to make room for Fraley.
Instead, Dee Gordon, who has been on the injured listed with a quadriceps strain, was set to be activated Tuesday and take Beckham’s place on the roster.