By Fitzgerald Cecilio

Boston, MA

Major League Baseball has meted a 50-game suspension on free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd after testing positive for performance-enhancing drug.

An 11-year veteran, Byrd was released by the Red Sox earlier this month.

Being a free agent, Byrd will be placed on the restricted list for the duration of his suspension, which will begin immediately and will be in effect through Aug. 20. It will result in the loss of 50 days of pay.

The Commissioner's Office said Byrd, an All-Star with the Cubs in 2010, tested positive for Tamoxifen, a drug commonly used to treat breast cancer in men and women by interfering with estrogen activity, thereby boosting testosterone levels.

Primarily taken orally in tablet form, the drug can alleviate side effects caused by steroids.

Byrd admitted during spring training with the Chicago Cubs that he was the only player in baseball who still worked with Victor Conte, whose laboratory was at the center of the steroid scandal surrounding Barry Bonds. Commissioner Bud Selig later asked Byrd to sever ties with Conte.

Philadelphia's 10th-round pick in 1999, Byrd made his Major League debut with the Phillies in 2002. He finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2003, his first full big-league season, when he hit .303 with seven homers, 45 RBI, 86 runs and 11 stolen bases.

After four years with the Phillies, he also spent time with the Nationals (two years), the Rangers (three years), the Cubs (three years) and the Red Sox.

This season, he played for 47 games with Chicago and Boston, batting .243 with one home run and nine RBIs.

After going 3-for-43, Byrd was traded by the Cubs to the Red Sox in April. He was released by the Red Sox on June 12 after batting .270 in 34 games.

Byrd is a career .278 hitter with 82 homers and 1,067 hits in an 11-season Major League career.

 

MLB Bans Outfielder Byrd 50 Games for Use of Performance Enhancers