One of the Giants’ top pitching prospects tested positive for Stanozolol, and will miss most of 2021 with the suspension.

San Francisco Giants prospect Gregory Santos was suspended today, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced.  Santos tested positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, and will be suspended for 80 games without pay.

Santos is considered one of the Giants top pitching prospects, ranked #17 by MLB Pipeline, #23 by Baseball America, and #21 here on Giant Futures.  The 21-year old is known for his power fastball that can run between 97-100 mph and a plus slider, but he’s also had struggles with control.

The Giants named Santos, along with three other players, to their 40-man roster to protect them in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft.  In 2019, he had a 2.86 ERA in eight starts as injuries limited his season.  The Giants pushed him to the Majors in 2021, and he had a 22.50 ERA in three relief appearances, allowing three home runs in 2.0 innings.

He was moved down to Triple-A Sacramento, where he has a 5.17 ERA in 14 appearances, with 15 strikeouts and 9 walks in 15.2 innings.

The Giants released a statement mentioning their disappointment in Santos, and supporting the efforts to get rid of PEDs from the sport.

80 games will cost Santos the rest of the minor league season, and almost two weeks of the 2022 season.