Phillies’ Bryce Harper and Matt Strahm makes feelings known on Jose Alvarado’s 80-game PED suspension

The Philadelphia Phillies' pitching staff was handed a body blow on Sunday after star closer Jose Alvarado was suspended for 80 games over violating MLB's PED policy.

Alvarado, who is arguably one of the most reliable left-handed closers in the game, will be available for the team's final 37 regular season games. However, according to MLB, he won't be eligible to pitch in October if Philadelphia makes the postseason.

Phillies star and former MVP Bryce Harper reacted to the 29-year-old reliever's suspension on Sunday.

"It's a tough situation," Harper said after the Phillies swept the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Don't know too much about it. Obviously, he took something he wasn't supposed to and got suspended.

"We have to move on without him, and that is a big loss for us, our bullpen. He's one of our top arms there and we just got to go forward and not really worry about it.

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Harper's teammate Matt Strahm also reflected on the suspension in a conversation with NBC's John Clark:

“I’m still processing it. I want to talk to Alvi himself and get it straight from the horse’s mouth. But it sucks.”

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Jose Alvarado was the bullpen leader for the Phillies with a 4-1 record in 20 appearances. He had seven saves in as many opportunities with a 2.70 ERA. He was traded to the Phillies by the Tampa Bay Rays in December 2020 and signed a three-year, $21.5 million extension in February 2023.

Philadelphia Phillies supports MLB's decision to suspend Jose Alvarado's

Jose Alvarado tested positive for exogenous Testosterone, leading to his 80-game suspension. The Phillies supported MLB's decision, releasing a statement:

“The Phillies fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program and are disappointed to hear today’s news of José’s violation.”

Alvarado's suspension comes at a time when the Phillies are battling the New York Mets for the best record in baseball. Philadelphia's bullpen has the seventh-highest ERA, and the team is likely to search for arms to fill the void left by Alvarado's suspension.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash