SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) – On the day the Kansas City Royals welcomed back Mike Moustakas, they found out Jorge Bonifacio will miss half the season.
Bonifacio was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball on Saturday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
The outfielder was banned after a positive test for Boldenone. The ban will begin on opening day.
“It really kind of made me sick to my stomach,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.
The 24-year-old Bonifacio made his major league debut last season, hitting .255 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs in 113 games.
Moustakas set a Royals record with 38 home runs last season, then rejected a $17.4 million offer from the team. But the third baseman never received the multiyear, mega-million dollar contract he and his agent Scott Boras anticipated.
The Royals signed Moustakas to a one-year $6.5 million contract with a mutual option for 2019. He can make another $2.2 million in incentives this year based on plate appearances.
“It feels like I never left,” he said. “It feels great to be back home. I’m excited to be back with the organization I grew up with. I got to see some familiar faces.”
“It’s always great to come into a clubhouse and everybody give you a hug. To have an opportunity to come back to Kansas City and play baseball again, it was a no-doubter, a no-brainer for me,” he said.
Photo credit – Charlie Riedel / Associated Press / Kansas City, MO