The MLB this season boosted its drug test total 25 percent.
The sport’s new Independent Public Administrator (IPA) said there were 10,237 tests of players on 40-player major league rosters, including 8,235 urine samples for performance-enhancing substances, stimulants and the drug DHEA, and 2,002 blood samples for human growth hormone.
That was up from 8,281 tests last season, which included 6,634 urine samples and 1,647 blood samples.
Two major leaguers had positive tests for banned stimulants, one each for D-amphetamine and Adderall. The players were not identified because of the penalty for first offenses for stimulants and DHEA is six additional urine tests over the next year rather than a suspension.
There were five positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs that resulted in 80-game suspensions: Pittsburgh outfielder Starling Marte (Nandrolone), Philadelphia pitcher Elniery Garcia and Houston pitcher David Paulino (both Boldenone), Cleveland pitcher Joseph Colon (SARM LGD-4022) and San Francisco pitcher Joan Gregorio (Stanozolol).
There were 106 therapeutic use exemptions for otherwise banned drugs: 103 for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one each for hypertension, idiopathic hypersomnia and azoospermia, a condition in which semen contains no sperm.
That was down from 107 last year, which included 105 for ADHD and one each for hypertension and hypercalciuria — calcium in urine.
Thomas Martin, a retired US Army colonel who is a former director of the US Department of Defense’s drug testing and program policy office, was hired as IPA to replace Jeffrey Anderson, who was the IPA since 2012 and died on Aug. 30.
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