Twins prospect Eddie Rosario has received a 50-game suspension that will begin with the start of the 2014 season, Major League Baseball announced Saturday.
Rosario, a 22-year-old second baseman, was suspended after a second positive test for a drug of abuse, according to the commissioner's office.
Published reports in Rosario's native Puerto Rico in mid-November quoted the player suggesting he had mistakenly taken a banned substance after suffering an undisclosed arm injury.
A Twins official expressed surprise at the time with that version of events, noting Rosario had not complained of any arm troubles while playing in the Arizona Fall League.
Rosario, rated the Twins' third-best position prospect after reaching Double-A New Britain last season, has struggled at the plate in both Arizona and Puerto Rico this offseason. He was hitting a combined .201 in 184 at-bats this winter in those two leagues.
