Left-handed pitcher Nik Turley, a candidate for the Pirates' bullpen, has been suspended by Major League Baseball for 80 games without pay after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
Turley, who was claimed off waivers by the Pirates in November, tested positive for Ipamorelin, a growth hormone, and his suspension will begin at the start of the season.
Turley, 28, went 0-2 with an 11.21 ERA, 2.15 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 10 appearances, including three starts, for the Twins in 2017, although he spent most of the season at Triple-A Rochester.
He went 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA, 16 strikeouts and six walks in four starts for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Winter League this offseason.
Turley attended the Pirates' voluntary minicamp at Pirate City earlier this month, but the suspension could impact his ability to stick with the club. The Pirates' rotation is crowded with the addition of Joe Musgrove in the Gerrit Cole trade, and they acquired bullpen help during the past two weeks.
Michael Feliz, also acquired from the Astros for Cole, and Kyle Crick, a right-handed reliever acquired from the Giants in the Andrew McCutchen deal, are both likely to be on the opening day roster. Additionally, the Pirates have Felipe Rivero, George Kontos, Daniel Hudson, Edgar Santana, Dovydas Neverauskas and A.J. Schugel on the 40-man roster.
Tyler Glasnow and Steven Brault also are candidates to pitch out of the bullpen if they do not win a job in the rotation.
Turley made his major-league debut June 11 after a 15-strikeout game in Triple-A. Less than a year earlier, he was playing independent ball for the Somerset Braves of the Atlantic League. Prior to that, Turley spent seven years in the Yankees’ organization, where he was named their minor-league pitcher of the year in 2012. He reached Triple-A in 2013 and earned a 40-man roster spot.
He split the 2015 season between the Giants’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates before signing a minor-league deal with the Red Sox, where he began the 2016 season with that club’s Double-A affiliate in Portland, Maine.
After being released by the Red Sox, Turley played independent ball at Somerset. His performance there earned him a contract with the Twins.
Last week, Pirates pitching prospect Montana DuRapau, who split last season between Double-A and Triple-A, was suspended for 50 games for a violation of MLB's drug policy.