José Zerpa, Mariners prospect, suspended for 80 games for doping
Venezuelan pitcher José Zerpa, belonging to the Seattle Mariners organization, has been suspended for 80 games. The sanction is due to a positive test for Stanozolol, a banned substance to improve athletic performance.
The news was announced this Friday by the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, within the framework of the minor leagues’ anti-doping and drug prevention program.
Zerpa, 21 years old and originally from Yaracuy state, was playing with the Inland Empire 66ers, a Class A team of the Mariners in the California League.
The young pitcher was having a good season as a reliever, with a 4-1 record and a 4.70 ERA in ten appearances before the suspension.
A Brake in His Career
Zerpa signed with the Mariners in 2023 with a minor league contract that included a signing bonus of 10 thousand dollars.
This suspension represents a significant setback for his development in the minor leagues and delays his aspirations of reaching the Major Leagues.
Zerpa’s suspension adds to other cases of players sanctioned this year for violating Major League Baseball’s anti-doping policies. He becomes the seventh player suspended in 2026 for cases related to steroids or prohibited substances.
