Noelvi Marte, Reds’ No. 1 Prospect, Suspended 80 Games For Positive PED Test

Image credit: Noelvi Marte (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

Noelvi Marte was suspended 80 games by the commissioner’s office after testing positive for Boldenone. Classified as a performance enhancing drug, this was a violation of the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The news was announced on Friday, March 8.

Marte is the Reds’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 23 prospect in Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects. Marte was acquired by the Reds in the July 2022 Luis Castillo trade with the Mariners. He debuted in the major leagues last August and finished with a 13-game hitting streak.

Marte was the presumed favorite at third base entering the season, but had been hobbled by a strained hamstring sustained in winter ball. Marte made his spring debut this weekend, but will now be on the shelf until this summer.

Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand will see an increase in playing time in his absence.  This, however, is a shot to the Reds starting depth, which looked to be a strength of the club entering the season. How this impacts Marte’s future is uncertain.

Boldenone is an anabolic-androgenic steroid, and it’s had a history of use in professional sports. Most recently, the Diamondbacks’ Domingo Leyba tested positive for the anabolic steroid in 2020 and was suspended 80 games.While not unheard of, it’s highly unusual for a prospect of Marte’s stature to be suspended for performance enhancing drugs.