Jose Alvarado's suspension an unexpected and devastating blow for Phillies

Jose Alvarado's suspension an unexpected and devastating blow for Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies were dealt a devastating blow Sunday with the news José Alvarado has been suspended without pay for 80 games by MLB after testing positive for exogenous testosterone.

His violation also makes him ineligible for the postseason.

The club learned about the suspension prior to the series finale against the Pirates and issued the following statement:

“The Phillies fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program and are disappointed to hear today’s news of José’s violation.”

The Phillies will now be without one of their most reliable arms out of the bullpen — and one of the most dominant relievers across the sport.

“To me, I end up treating it like an injury,” said president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. “Because you need to replace somebody for 80 games and then hopefully into the postseason, he’s not eligible for that time period.

“It’s not something he did knowingly, I believe that, the way he talked to me. Basically the system is a very stringent system in the sense that you’re responsible for what goes into your body. That’s what it really comes down to.

“I know what he was doing, he was trying to take a weight-loss reduction, he’s always been self-conscious of his weight and working hard on it. Something he took gave a positive result, but ultimately it’s a situation where if it happens, you’re still responsible for it.”

Alvarado was not at Citizens Bank Park and unavailable to comment on the suspension.

More coming …