Anytime an MLB player gets suspended for performance-enhancing drugs, that's a terrible look not only for whatever team he's on, but for the player as well. Given how embarrassing it is to get caught cheating, the player often comes up with an excuse to soften the blow. Jose Alvarado of the Philadelphia Phillies is no exception, and his excuse is one for the record books for all of the wrong reasons.
Alvarado was suspended for 80 games without pay after testing positive for PEDs on Sunday. He attributed the positive test to a weight loss drug that he took.
Again, this is a bad look for Alvarado.
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Jose Alvarado's excuse is a tough one for Phillies fans to get behind
There's nothing wrong with taking a supplement to try to lose weight. There is, however, something wrong with taking a supplement that contains a banned substance. Whether he knew that a banned substance was in the drug or not is something only he can definitively answer. There is, however, no excuse for this.
If he didn't know what was in the drug, he had to do some research and figure it out. If he couldn't figure it out, he had to know better than to take it and come up with another solution. Instead, he took something that has not only gotten him suspended for almost three full months of games without pay, but he'll be ineligible to pitch in the postseason if the Phillies can get there.
Alvarado was one of the few members of this Phillies bullpen who was actually meeting expectations. He had a 2.70 ERA in 20 appearances and 20 innings of work, and had converted seven saves in seven tries. Without him, the Phillies will have to rely heavily on Jordan Romano, Orion Kerkering, and Matt Strahm to try and patch things together late in games, if they don't attempt to add an arm externally.
Injuries are not something that an athlete can control, but getting a PED suspension is something an athlete can control. Attributing it to weight loss instead of a lack of attention to detail or thinking he can get away with it is frustrating and not something Phillies fans will likely get behind.