Breaking: Mariners Player Suspended 80 Games For PED Violation
Seattle Mariners Class A pitcher Jose Zerpa receives 80-game suspension after testing positive for Stanozolol.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 22, 2026
He's been pitching at Class A Inland Empire in the California League, and has a 4-1 record in relief, with a 4.70 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and nine strikeouts per nine innings across 23 IP. The Venezuelan hurler signed a minor league contract with Seattle in 2023 that came with a $10,000 bonus.
He becomes the seventh player hit with a drug ban this season.
The two most notable were free agent outfielder Max Kepler, who was suspended for 80 games back in January. That was followed by a 162-game ban—the entire season—for Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar. It was his second PED violation.
The most famous (infamous?) Seattle Mariner to have been hit with a drug suspension was All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano, who was slapped with an 80-game punishment in 2018 after he tested positive for a banned substance. But he, like Profar, didn't learn his lesson, as Cano was suspended for the entire 2021 season while with the New York Mets after testing positive for a second time. His career was left in tatters after that. From a .316 average and .896 OPS in 2020, he came back in 2022 and, at age 39, was washed. He had a .150 average and bounced around between three teams, before calling in quits.
Photo: © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
