Two Dodger Minor Leaguers Suspended 50 Games

In disappointing news, two minor leaguers in the Dodgers farm system were suspended for 50 games on Tuesday for testing positive for undisclosed drug abuse. This was the second offense for each.

Robert Carson and Theo Alexander were both suspended 50 games after the positive test results were found. According to the Los Angeles Times, the players tested positive for marijuana.

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Robert Carson is a left-handed pitcher originally drafted by the Mets in 2007. He signed as a free agent with the Dodgers in May of last year. He has pitched in 31 games for the Mets, but spent most of last season with Triple-A Albuquerque where he went 2-5 with a 5.40 ERA over 18 games and 25 innings. He did strike out 30 batters for the Isotopes during that span while walking 12.

Carson will not be able to attend Major League Spring Training after the suspension. The Dodgers had invited Carson to big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

20-year old outfielder, Theo Alexander, was also suspended for 50 games after a positive drug test result. Alexander played in 43 games for the Rookie level Ogden Raptors last season. He hit .217 with 3 homeruns in 142 plate appearances. He struck out 41 times over 43 games. He was a 7th round pick by the Dodgers in the 2012 draft out of Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington.

Usually players on the 40-man roster cannot be tested for marijuana, but Carson and Alexander are non-roster players.

Earlier this month, former Dodger minor league pitcher Duke von Schamann was suspended for 50 games for his second violation of the minor league drug prevention and treatment program. von Schamann is currently in Cleveland’s minor league system.

With the suspensions come questions about the punishments for marijuana versus performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. Many states have passed legislation decriminalizing recreational and medicinal marijuana use.

Without knowing all of the health consequences for those professional players (in the MLB and across all sports) partaking in marijuana (if any), it will be interesting to see if changes are made to the rules in trend with the increasing acceptance of marijuana use in the U.S.

Regardless if you believe marijuana should or shouldn’t be allowed in professional sports or MLB, it is hard to see how one could jeopardize their career by breaking a rule. Everyone makes mistakes, but repeated offenses will get you a hefty suspension regardless of whether the abused substance is performance enhancing or not.

Do you think that recreational marijuana use resulting in a positive drug test should have the same punishment as other performance enhancing drugs in the MLB? Let me know in the comments.