For the second time in three weeks, the Pirates had a prospect suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball.
Mitchell Tolman, a second baseman on Double-A Altoona’s roster, was suspended without pay after a second positive test for a drug of abuse. A seventh-round pick of the Pirates in 2015, Tolman spent most of last season at High-A Bradenton, where he played in 115 games.
The 23-year-old batted .267/.364/.393 with nine home runs and 62 RBI, striking out 85 times with 58 walks. He then struggled in the Arizona Fall League this offseason with a .197 average in 17 games.
Tolman is not ranked among the club’s top prospects by MLB.com, and he is the third member of the organization to be suspended this offseason.
Nik Turley, a 28-year-old left-handed pitcher on the Pirates’ 40-man roster, was suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Pitching prospect Montana DuRapau, who split last season between Double-A and Triple-A, was also suspended 50 games after a second positive test for a drug of abuse.
DuRapau, 25, had a 2.04 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 62 strikeouts, 20 walks and 15 saves in 53 innings between Altoona and Indianapolis last season.