Mets minor league pitcher Derrick Bernard receives 50-game suspension

According to the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Mets minor league pitcher Derrick Bernard has received a 50-game suspension without pay following his second positive test for a drug of abuse, a violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Substances defined by Major League Baseball as "drugs of abuse" include cocaine, marijuana, heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and other opiates.

Bernard was signed in June 2014 out of Sul Russ State University, where he also played football. Despite not having played baseball since high school, he made the SRSU team and posted a 3.24 ERA in 13 appearances out of the bullpen for the Lobos. The right-hander was assigned to the GCL Mets and made his professional debut on June 27. He appeared in six games, all relief appearances, posting a 3.86 ERA in seven innings, with eight strikeouts and nine walks. On August 13, he received a 62-game suspension from the Commissioner's Office for testing positive for nandrolone, a banned performance-enhancing substance.

The 23-year-old began the 2015 on the GCL Mets' restricted list. When his suspension for nandrolone ends, his 50-game suspension goes into effect. Because the combined total of his suspension extends though the 60-game GCL season, Bernard will not appear in any games in 2015.