Brewers pitcher J.C. Mejía has been suspended 162 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, MLB announced Wednesday afternoon.
Mejía, 27, received a suspension after testing positive for Stanozolol—an anabolic steroid linked in the past to players such as Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. He was previously suspended 80 games on May 17, 2022 after testing positive for the same substance.
During the 2023 season, Mejía pitched 11 1/3 innings in nine appearances for Milwaukee. He went 1–0 with a 5.56 ERA and 13 strikeouts.
“The Milwaukee Brewers fully support MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and share in the goal of eliminating performance-enhancing substances from our game,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said in a statement following the suspension.
Mejía has pitched three years in the big leagues, going 1–7 in 17 games for Cleveland in 2021 and pitching 2 1/3 innings for Milwaukee in ’22.