Blue Jays minor league catcher O’Brien suspended 50 games

Kansas' Dakota Smith, right, begins his slide past West Virginia catcher Cameron O'Brien, left, in the fifth inning of a first-round game in the Big 12 conference baseball tournament in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, May 21, 2014. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)

Toronto Blue Jays minor league catcher Cameron O’Brien has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for Amphetamine, MLB announced Tuesday.

O’Brien was signed by the Blue Jays as a minor-league free agent in the spring of 2016. The 24-year-old was not drafted after playing his final two college seasons at the University of West Virginia.

After debuting with the Bluefield Blue Jays in the rookie-ball Appalachian League in June, he hit .264 in 33 games that included eight starts behind the plate. O’Brien added five home runs and 12 RBI.

O’Brien’s older brother Christopher, who saw time at the double-A and triple-A levels in the Baltimore Orioles system in 2016, was also suspended 50 games for a positive Amphetamine test in the same announcement. The two O’Briens are sons of Charlie O’Brien, who played with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996 and 1997.

Additionally, Arizona Diamondbacks minor league right-hander Jorge Despaigne was suspended 72 games after testing positive for metabolites of the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol. The New York Yankees were hit with two minor-league suspensions to rookie-ball outfielders Erick Mendez and Edel Luaces, both of whom tested positive for stimulants in violation of the program.

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