Raul A. Mondesi Suspended for PEDs, Gets Reduced Ban Because Of Cold Medication

Raul A. Mondesi, the Kansas City Royals' top prospect and son of former Major Leaguer Raul Mondesi, has been suspended 50 games under Major League Baseball's PED policy. This is a weird number, considering that the Players Association recently agreed to increase the penalty for a first time offense from 50 games to 80. But that recent bump in punishment also contained a provision for a reduced suspension if an arbitrator finds that the positive test was the result of the player's "inadvertent use" of a banned substance. It appears that's what we're dealing with here.

From the New York Post's Joel Sherman:

Mondesi failed a PED test but MLB and MLBPA reached agreement to drop from 80 to 50 Gs after he showed substance in cold medicine #Royals
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) May 10, 2016

Player is responsible for what is in his body even if accidentally, which is why Mondesi is still suspended #Royals
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) May 10, 2016

Mondesi provided evidence under "No Significant Fault or Negligence" provision of Program. MLB:MLBPA agreed to resolve prior to an appeal.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) May 10, 2016

So, rather than make Mondesi go through the motions of having to appeal the initial suspension and prove his case before an arbitrator, MLB accepted his evidence at the outset and avoided a drawn out process.

But it's not quite that easy, because it's never quite that easy. According to Jon Morosi, Mondesi was popped for clenbuterol which, according to the DEA, is "abused generally by bodybuilders and athletes for its ability to increase lean muscle mass and reduce body fat." It is approved for use to treat asthma and COPD in some countries, but it is not approved for human use in the United States, though it is approved for horses.

Here's the statement from Royals prospect Raul Mondesi on his 50-game suspension. pic.twitter.com/8LPR50uQhv
— Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) May 10, 2016

Mondesi was able to show that this substance was in medicine he used, apparently from outside of the U.S., and MLB accepted it was an honest mistake. Royals GM Dayton Moore feels similarly:

Update: To clear up an issue with who was actually suspended. The initial reports and statements from the team referred to Raul Mondesi, Jr. who is the older of Mondesi's two sons to have played professional baseball, most recently with the Brewers. However, Raul Adalberto Mondesi is the Royals prospect, and he is the one who released a statement on the ban. We have changed the headline and body of the post to reflect this.