Phillies right-hander Steve Geltz received a 100-game suspension without pay after failing his third test for a “drug of abuse,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Saturday. Geltz signed a minor league pact with the Phillies last month and was expected to provide bullpen depth for the club this season.
The 30-year-old righty was last seen in the majors with the 2016 Rays, when he posted a career-worst 5.74 ERA and -0.8 fWAR in 27 relief appearances. He spent the entirety of his 2017 season with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate and turned in a respectable 2.67 ERA, 4.0 BB/9 and 9.7 SO/9 over 27 innings. Until this weekend, he had not violated the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program since May 2014, when he was suspended 50 games following a second positive test for recreational marijuana use.
Geltz wasn’t the only one who got in hot water this weekend. Rays minor league catcher Nick Ciuffo, Padres minor league right-hander Alex Cunningham and Pirates minor league second baseman Mitchell Tolman each received 50-game suspensions without pay after testing positive for drugs of abuse. It marked the second such violation for Ciuffo and Tolman.
