Another failed drug test, another baseball player faces punishment. Multiple big-league players, like Jurickson Profar, are already facing varied punishments for using performance-enhancing drugs this season. The Seattle Mariners’ 21-year-old minor league pitcher has now joined the list.

Right-hander Jose Zerpa recently tested positive under the minor league drug program for performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol. The league has suspended Zerpa for 80 games. This synthetic steroid is popular because it helps pitchers build lean muscle and recover faster. For an unranked prospect trying to stand out in the lower minors, the temptation to boost velocity is high. But getting caught comes with a heavy price.

The Mariners signed Zerpa as a free agent in May 2023 under a minor league contract. The Venezuelan was awarded a $10,000 signing bonus. Zerpa was the seventh player to be suspended for using performance-enhancing substances this season across minor and major leagues.

The Minor League usually issues a 50-80 game suspension for a first offense. It punished two minor leaguers, Luis Custodio and Luis Sierra, with a 56-game suspension in January this year. Free agent Jhoan De Los Santos was also handed the same punishment in February. They tested positive for the same substance as Zerpa.

At the time of his suspension, Zerpa was pitching for the Class A Inland Empire in the California League. He posted a 4.70 ERA across 10 games with a 4-1 record this season. Missing half a season of development could ruin his chances of moving up in the Mariners’ system.

Alongside the minor leaguers, the MLB has already suspended multiple big-league players this season. Below is a list of those players.

List of MLB players suspended for using PEDs in 2026

Major League Baseball mandates an 80-game suspension for using PEDs for the first time, and a 162-game suspension for a second offense. The players don’t get paid for the suspension period under the Major League’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Outfielder Jurickson Profar of the Atlanta Braves is facing a suspension without pay for the entire 2026 season after he tested positive for using exogenous testosterone. It was the second drug violation of his career. He faced an 80-game suspension in 2025 for using human chorionic gonadotropin. It is a performance-enhancing hormone. Last season, he hit .245 with 14 homers for the Braves and was expected to make a significant impact on the lineup this season.

Apart from Profar, free agent Max Kepler was handed an 80-game suspension in January 2026. As a result, he won’t be able to play in the playoffs as well. Being a free agent, Kepler can serve the duration of his punishment while remaining unsigned. The 33-year-old last played for the Philadelphia Phillies. Kepler recorded 18 homers and 52 RBIs, hitting .216 in 127 games last season.

Johan Rojas was the latest MLB player to be suspended this season. The Philadelphia Phillies’ outfielder tested positive for Boldenone, and the MLB suspended him for 80 games. His punishment began on Opening Day of the 2026 season. Rojas is not only missing playing in the regular season, but the Dominican Republic also removed him from their roster for the World Baseball Classic.

He will become eligible to play again on June 25.