Elniery Garcia, #71 of the Philadelphia Phillies, poses for a portrait at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, the Chinese Professional Baseball League banned left-handed pitcher Elniery Garcia for life after he failed a routine drug test. The 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic tested positive for S1 anabolic substances, which are a form of steroids.
Garcia signed a contract with the CTBC Brothers during the winter but did not appear in a game for the club and was not eligible to register due to the failed test. His contract with the Brothers has been terminated.
He threw 41 innings for the Fubon Guardians during the 2023 CPBL season, posting a 3.95 ERA in seven starts.
According to Focus Taiwan, Garcia received a lifetime ban from the CPBL because it was not his first suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. In 2017, Major League Baseball suspended Garcia for 80 games for testing positive for the PED Boldenone. He was pitching in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization for Double-A Reading at the time.
Focus Taiwan reports import players who have previously failed a drug test in another professional baseball league must pass a routine drug test before playing for their CPBL organization, ultimately leading to Garcia’s lifetime ban.
Garcia has played professional baseball in four additional countries besides the United States and Taiwan, including Liga Mexicana de Beisbol in Mexico, Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional in Venezuela, Liga Profesional de Béisbol in Colombia, and Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana in the Dominican Republic.
In his 11-year professional baseball career, Garcia has appeared in 148 games and has a 3.62 career ERA, mainly as a starting pitcher. In minor league baseball, Garcia reached Triple-A Memphis in the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 2018, appearing in one game but allowing four earned runs in two innings.
If Garcia wishes to continue his career in professional baseball, he will need to find an organization willing to take a chance on a two-time PED offender. However, performance-enhancing drug suspensions are still prevalent in Major League Baseball.
MLB players who have been suspended for the PED Boldenone include Cincinnati Reds shortstop Noelvi Marte in March 2024, Houston Astros pitcher Francis Martes in February 2020, Kansas City Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio in March 2018, Houston Astros pitcher David Paulino in July 2017, Cleveland Guardians outfielder Abraham Almonte in February 2016, and New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia in February 2016.
