Pittsburgh Pirates’ right-handed pitcher Clario Perez has been suspended for 80 games for testing positive for Stanozolol. The 23-year-old was re-signed as a minor league free agent by the Pirates last month. He originally signed with them as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican back in March of 2009. He topped out at Altoona this season, putting up impressive stats at Bradenton during the first half of the year, followed by a 3.89 ERA in 34.2 innings with Altoona to finish the season. Perez sits 93-94, with excellent control and a decent ground ball rate.
Perez is the fourth player in the system who has been suspended since August 2014. Michael Clemens, a 2014 draft pick was suspended last August, followed by DSL infielder Johan De Jesus in September. Back in January, infielder Kevin Ross was suspended for 50 games. Both Ross and Clemens were released before they served their suspension, while De Jesus sat out the entire 2015 season. He spent the year training at the Dominican academy and will be back in 2016.
