Fresh off completing a 50-game suspension for testing positive for testosterone, Athletics right-hander Bartolo Colon will make his season debut tonight against the Astros. Since Colon was only able to serve 45 games of his suspension in 2012, he was ineligible to join the A’s active roster until the sixth game of the season.
Colon was a valued member of Oakland’s rotation prior to his suspension last August, posting a 3.43 ERA and 91/23 K/BB ratio in 152 1/3 innings across 24 starts. Despite putting the team in a bit of a bind down the stretch, the 39-year-old was brought back this winter on a one-year, $3 million contract.
As Matthew noted early this morning, the Athletics demoted Dan Straily to Triple-A Sacramento in order to make room for Colon on the roster. Straily struck out career-high 11 batters in last night’s win over the Astros, so he hardly deserved to be sent down, but there’s no room for him in the rotation at the moment.
