Jenrry Mejia, what are you doing, man?
The New York Mets players, coaches and executives are surely asking that very question as the reliever tested positive for the second time this year, thus drawing a 162-game suspension. Mejia had already missed the first 80 games of the season after failing a test for PEDs. As if that wasn’t astounding enough, the 25-year-old got dinged for the very same substances he was caught using the first time around.
Jenrry Mejia was suspended for taking the exact same drug he was caught with the first time. He’s been back for about three weeks. Unreal.
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) July 28, 2015
According to the New York Post‘s Joel Sherman, the substances in question were Stanozolol and Boldenone. Did Mejia think he could get away with taking those PEDs again since he’d already tested positive once, and therefore might not be tested again? If so, whomever is giving him such advice needs to be seriously evaluated.
Mejia had only been back with the Mets for seven games before being banned again. He struck out seven batters in 7.1 innings with two walks and four hits allowed, without giving up a run.
So getting Tyler Clippard looks like a timely trade now, doesn’t it? That might lead to speculation that the Mets knew Mejia was about to get suspended and thus dealt for Clippard. But according to Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, that trade was already in the process of being made before the team received news about Mejia failing a drug test.
Does this effectively end Mejia’s career with the Mets? At his age and with strikeout stuff, you might figure he would get another shot. But the team was reportedly already furious with Mejia’s first suspension, so to test positive again — and so soon, with the team in a playoff race — probably kills any goodwill the reliever may have still had. Sherman mentions that becoming eligible for arbitration makes Mejia even more likely to be cut loose.
