The curious case of Jose Bautista

Drug testing in MLB is supposed to be random, which is why eyebrows have been raised over how often Jose Bautista's name has been drawn.

According to Dionisio Soldevilla of the Dominican Republic newspaper Hoy, during a Jan. 22 dinner hosted by the president of Bautista's native Dominican Republic, the Toronto Blue Jays slugger was asked by compatriot and retired pitcher Pedro Martinez how many times he has been tested under Major League Baseball's drug prevention and treatment program.

Bautista replied that he had been tested three times in 2009, nine times during his breakout, 54 home run 2010 season and seven times during the 2011 campaign.

Soldevilla was a guest Thursday on the Jeff Blair Show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan and was asked if he thought it was possible Bautista had exaggerated the number of times he'd been tested the past two years.

"He's a pretty smart guy," Soldevilla told Blair. "He knows the difference between three and nine."

Blair added that Bautista had declined further comment on the matter through the Blue Jays.

According to Major League Baseball's joint drug prevention and treatment program, there are no restrictions placed on how many times a player may be tested in a given year.

And: "Each Player shall remain subject to additional tests regardless of the number of tests taken by the Player during any calendar year."