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One of the Houston Astros young prospects won't be back on the diamond until sometime next season. No, he's not hurt, but his career has certainly taken a hit.
Emilio Gonzalez, a 17-year-old the Astros signed to a minor-league contract this past offseason, will be serving a 56-game suspension after testing positive for Boldenone, a substance that is banned under Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Programs.
Gonzalez, who's currently a catcher in the Astros' farm system, has already been shelved for two games and will serve the remainder of the suspension during next year's Dominican Summer League. Gonzalez is the 13th player this season — both in the major leagues and the minor leagues — who's been busted for using performance enhancing drugs.
Astros prospect Emilio Gonzalez busted for PEDs and won’t be back until 2026
Boldenone has been the subject of previous MLB suspensions. Most recently, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Noelvi Marte was popped for using Boldenone prior to the start of the 2024 season. At the time, Marte was one of the Reds' top prospects, but he was unable to be part of the active roster until closer to the All-Star break last season.
Former New York Mets player Jenrry Mejia was the first player in MLB history to receive a lifetime ban for PED use. Just like Gonzalez and Marte, he was busted for using Boldenone. For Mejia, this was the third such instance, which triggered his lifetime ban.
Boldenone is an anabolic steroid and is often used for veterinary use. For athletes, however, the drug can aid in the development of lean muscle mass. It's also one of the most detectable drugs that MLB tests for, which further illustrates the stupidity attached to Gonzalez's actions.
Gonzalez had played just 16 games for the Astros DSL team this season, and was hitting .209 with a .693 OPS before getting hit with the suspension. His standing with the organization moving forward is now obviously in question. Gonzalez is not among the Astros' top prospects.