Boston Red Sox minor league pitcher Anthony Felix has been suspended for 56 games following a positive test for the performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol, as part of baseball’s drug policy for players assigned outside the U.S. and Canada.
Felix, a 20-year-old right-hander, joined the Red Sox in June with a $10,000 signing bonus. This season in the Dominican Summer League, he was 2-0 with a 3.55 ERA and two saves in 14 appearances.
This year, there have been 14 player suspensions for positive drug tests, including six under the new program for minor league players stationed outside the U.S. and Canada and six under the standard minor league program.
Cincinnati Reds’ top prospect, 22-year-old infielder Noelvi Marté, missed 80 games after testing positive for Boldenone. Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martínez received an 80-game suspension on June 23 after testing positive for Clomiphene, just two days after his major league debut.
As for the Red Sox, their focus is on staying competitive in the American League Wild Card race, especially with September approaching. However, on Saturday, they faced a challenge from Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen, whose dominant performance led to a 4-1 loss for Boston and left them needing a win on Sunday to avoid being swept in the series.
Triston Casas, who struck out in all four of his at-bats against Gallen, described the difficulty of facing one of MLB’s top pitchers. “He was attacking the zone with various pitches, and his curveball was particularly effective. The metrics were impressive.”
Casas noted how Gallen’s curveball was deceptive, starting as a ball, then crossing the plate as a strike, and ending as a ball again. “It’s tough to decide what to swing at, especially with two strikes and runners on base,” Casas added. “Gallen’s ability to mix his pitches and adjust his approach made him very challenging.”
Gallen threw six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while walking four and striking out nine. Despite the relatively high walk count, which included two walks to slugger Rafael Devers, Casas pointed out that Gallen’s precise and unpredictable pitching made him difficult to hit.
For the Red Sox to have any chance against Gallen, their own starter needed to deliver a standout performance. However, Crawford’s effort fell short. He allowed three hits and two runs over five innings, walking two and striking out three. “Kind of mediocre,” Crawford said of his performance. “I didn’t get ahead as much as I wanted, didn’t throw enough strikes, and had some trouble in the fourth and fifth innings.”
Despite recent improvements, including a .148 opponent batting average and a .511 OPS over his last three outings, Crawford has struggled to pitch deep into games. Saturday marked the seventh consecutive start where he fell short of six innings.
