Astros prospect David Paulino down for year with suspension

David Paulino is suspended for 80-games meaning he is out for the season and playoffs for the Astros.

June was not a great month for the Houston Astros as they battled injuries to the rotation. One of the guys that stepped up to help cover was David Paulino. He made his debut last year and so far his performance has been a mixed bag. The third best Astros prospect and 44th overall as ranked by MLB Pipeline Paulino and some room to grow.

He has the stuff as evident from his 34 strikeouts in 29 innings. However, he has been plagued by home run issues this year allowing eight of them. Paulino has two wins with a 6.52 ERA, but will not have an opportunity to lower that ERA this year. His last start, Paulino allowed four homers while giving up seven earned runs in four innings.

Another blow for the Astros.

Instead of making his next start, Paulino was suspended for 80-games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance according to MLB Trade Rumors. The PED he tested positive for was Boldenone, which is given to cattle to fatten them up or racing horses. While we are not sure what it does, it could help players put on weight. Paulino is a stick figure so that could have been the reason for using it.

No matter the reason, Paulino and the Astros now have to live with this. With the suspension, Paulino will not be able to participate in the potential playoffs in 2017. With that news, it sounds like they will shut him down until February. Luhnow acknowledged that Paulino has proven that he can pitch at this level via Jake Kaplan.

Paulino will not count on the 40-man roster for the Astros according to Kaplan. With an opening in the rotation, it looks like Joe Musgrove could return to start the game Paulino was scheduled. Musgrove is eligible to return on Tuesday. Charlie Morton will make his last rehab start later today and will rejoin the Astros next week.

To get the Astros roster to 25-players, the Astros call up Ashur Tolliver according to Christian Boutwell. With Musgrove and Morton’s impending return, Tolliver and Diaz’s stay will be short. Despite the constant influx of minor leaguers, the Stros still have the best record in baseball. Will this be the last time we see Paulino in a Stros uniform? Probably not. Boutwell said that this was the first time in Houston history that an active player got suspended for PEDs.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***