There wasn't a lot that went right for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012, but one of the things that most certainly did go right was Carlos Ruiz. The 33-year-old Chooch had his best season in the majors, hitting .325/.394/.540 with a career-high 16 homers in 372 at-bats. But he'll start the 2013 season with a 25-game suspension, levied for testing positive for a banned substance. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Carlos Ruiz suspended 25 games for Adderall
Doug Pensinger
Ruiz tested positive for Adderall, according to a league source, an amphetamine commonly used to control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adderall is classified as a banned stimulant — not a steroid — under MLB’s policy. The suspension was triggered by Ruiz’s second positive test for the stimulant.
It’s not all bad. The Phillies save $750,000 in salary now! But it’s otherwise discouraging news for the Phils and their fans, most of whom are infatuated with the seven-year Phillies catcher.
Before folks start getting on their soapbox-mounted high horses, note that plenty of major-leaguers use drugs for ADHD already. They just need an exemption, which Ruiz clearly didn’t have. He needs to find someone who went to Hollywood Upstairs Medical College and get his stuff legitimately.
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