Former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect and current Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas was suspended 80 games by after testing positive for Ostarine — an illegal substance that violates Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Montas will immediately serve his 80-game suspension and is consequently ineligible to pitch in the postseason, should Oakland qualify. The Athletics currently trail the Boston Red Sox by two games for the second Wild Card spot in the American League.
Montas’ suspension is an unfortunate blow to the Athletics’ pitching staff. The right-hander was in the midst of a breakout season, having compiled a 9-2 record, 2.70 ERA, a league-best 2.86 FIP and 1.12 WHIP with 97 strikeouts against 21 walks over 90 innings pitched (15 starts).
Prior to emerging in Oakland, the 26-year-old was a rising star in the Dodgers farm system. The organization acquired him from the Chicago White Sox in a December 2015 three-team trade that also involved the Cincinnati Reds.
Montas was considered a top-100 prospect in all of baseball at the time and further bolstered the Dodgers’ talented Minor League pipeline. Though, he wound up making only seven appearances (four starts) for the organization across two separate stints with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City during the 2016 season.
Montas was traded to the Athletics at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline in 2016, along with fellow pitching prospect Grant Holmes for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick.
While Reddick proved to be just a rental, Hill pitched well for Los Angeles during the stretch run and was rewarded with a three-year contract at the conclusion of the season. Hill is now in the final year of that deal.
Although under vastly different circumstances, Hill, like Montas, won’t be pitching for the foreseeable future. The veteran left-hander suffered a strained flexor tendon and was removed after pitching just one inning against the San Francisco Giants.
Another former Dodgers farmhand who was suspended after departing the organization is Dee Gordon. He received an 80-game ban as a result of testing positive during the 2016 season.
A member of the Miami Marlins at the time, Gordon was additionally in the midst of a breakout season at the time of his suspension. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was initially shocked by the news, along with many of Gordon’s former teammates in Los Angeles.
