Royals starting outfielder suspended 80 games following positive drug test
Jorge Bonifacio won't be in the Royals' Opening Day lineup after all
The Kansas City Royals received some bad news on Saturday, as outfielder Jorge Bonifacio was suspended 80 games after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Boldenone.
MLB announces #Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio 80-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Boldenone. Suspension will commence at the start of the 2018 regular season.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 10, 2018
On Sunday, Bonifacio took responsibility for his actions:
"I made mistake. I take responsibility. I want to say 'sorry' to all my fans, the team, the coaches, the GM and the owner of the team." #Royals Jorge Bonifacio on his 80-game suspension.
— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) March 11, 2018
Bonifacio, whose suspension will begin on Opening Day, appeared in 113 games during his rookie season. He hit .255/.320/.432 (97 OPS+) and homered 17 times, offsetting some of his swing-and-miss tendencies. He'll turn 25 years old come June.
The former top-100 prospect was expected to start most days. Instead the Royals will presumably turn to Jon Jay and Paulo Orlando. The Royals also have Bubba Starling on the 40-man roster, as well Michael Saunders and Tyler Collins in camp -- Saunders would seem to be the most likely of the three to land on Kansas City's bench, given the bounce-back potential in his left-handed stick.
