Indians outfielder Marlon Byrd will reportedly be suspended following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing drug. The news was first reported by Vince Grzegorek of Cleveland Scene on Twitter. One of Ken Rosenthal's sources has since confirmed and said that he would not appeal the suspension. 
MLB announced the suspension on Wednesday afternoon, releasing the following statement:
MLB announced the suspension on Wednesday afternoon, releasing the following statement:
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Cleveland Indians outfielder Marlon Byrd has received a 162-game suspension without pay after testing positive for the growth hormone secretagogue Ipamorelin, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Byrd, who was previously suspended for a performance-enhancing substance violation on June 25, 2012, is effective immediately.Byrd was previously suspended for 50 games in 2012 after testing positive for tamoxifen. Per the terms of baseball's Joint Drug Agreement, Byrd will now be suspended for a full season -- i.e., 162 games -- as a two-time offender.Byrd, 38, is batting .270/.326/.452 (104 OPS+) with five home runs in 34 games for Cleveland. Given the health concerns of Michael Brantley, he's been a pretty important part of the Indians' outfield mix this season. For his career, Byrd owns an OPS+ of 103 across parts of 15 seasons. This season, he's under contract for $1 million. Since returning from his 2012 suspension Byrd's put up an OPS+ of 115, all since turning 35 years of age.Brantley's recovery from offseason shoulder surgery continues to progress slowly, and he's without a clear timetable for his return. As such, outfield depth for the contending Indians is now a serious concern. In February, another Cleveland outfielder, Abraham Almonte, was suspended for 80 games after he failed a test for PED'sDayn Perry/CBS Sports
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