Former UNCW ballplayer Cody Stanley has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
He was removed from the St. Louis Cardinals’ 50-man roster on Saturday and will miss the first 59 games of the 2016 season.
According to MLB.com, this most recent positive test came before his promotion to the big leagues on September 1. He spent most of the year playing for Triple A Memphis, batting .241, with seven home runs and 45 RBIs in 92 games. He played in nine games with St. Louis this season, making 10 plate appearances, and earned his first major league hit during a short stint with the Cardinals in April.
He also served a 50-game suspension in 2012 after a positive test for a different substance during spring training, one season after playing more than 100 games for the Cardinals’ Class A Minor League affiliate.
Stanley was selected by St. Louis with the 139th overall pick in the fourth round of the MLB draft in 2010.
