KANSAS CITY, MO. (AP) - Former MVP Miguel Tejada was suspended for 105 games on Saturday for testing positive for an amphetamine, one of the longest suspensions given by Major League Baseball.
The 39-year-old infielder for the Kansas City Royals is already on the 60-day disabled list. He is not challenging the penalties and will begin serving the ban immediately.
Tejada previously tested positive under the league’s amphetamine policy. That subjected him to a 25-game ban for a second test and an 80-game suspension for a third, both of which occurred while playing for the Royals this season.
A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Tejada tested positive for Adderall, a substance previously used to treat attention-deficit disorder. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because those details were not made public.
MLB’s medical staff occasionally grants therapeutic-use exemptions that allow players to use drugs such as Adderall to treat ADD and other disorders. However, Tejada no longer had the proper authorization to use the drug and the positive tests warranted a suspension.
It’s the third-longest non-lifetime ban handed down by MLB behind Alex Rodriguez’s 211-game suspension, which is currently under appeal, and reliever Steve Howe’s 119-day penalty in 1992.
Tejada, who signed a one-year deal with the Royals last offseason, is on the disabled list with a strained calf. He would need to fulfill the remainder of the suspension next season before he’s eligible to play.
A six-time All-Star who won the AL MVP award in 2002, Tejada has been dogged by doping allegations throughout his career. The first significant mention of his name came in the Mitchell Report on steroids use in baseball. Then in February 2009, Tejada was charged with lying to Congress about performance-enhancing drugs in the game. He pleaded guilty to the charge and received one year of probation.
Tejada spent last season out of the big leagues after struggling two years ago with the San Francisco Giants. He wound up signing a deal with the Royals in December, and was hitting .288 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 53 games before getting hurt.
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