Chris Davis Suspended 25 Games for Amphetamines: Latest Details and Reaction

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 9

Buck Showalter commented on Chris Davis' status for the ALCS, via Orioles on MASN:

Updates from Saturday, Sept. 27

Michael Kolligan of the Baltimore Sun has an update on Davis: 

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Chris Davis returned to the baseball field Friday, but it was a field far from the one the Orioles played on in Toronto.

Davis was over a thousand miles away in steamy Sarasota, playing Instructional League baseball as he tries to remain in shape during his 25-game suspension for a positive amphetamine test.

In his first game since reporting to the Orioles’ Sarasota complex on Tuesday, Davis went 1-for-2 with a walk against a pair of 18-year-old Tampa Bay Rays prospects in a game that ended in a 9-inning, 3-3 tie.

 

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Updates from Saturday, Sept. 13 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports on Davis' efforts to acquire an exemption from the amphetamine rules:

Original Text

The Baltimore Orioles appear to be playoff bound, but they will be without first baseman Chris Davis for the next 25 games due to a violation of MLB's policy against performance-enhancing drugs.

According to MLB Public Relations on Twitter, Davis tested positive for an amphetamine:

Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports this is not Davis' first offense:

Brittany Ghiroli of Orioles.com provides a statement from Davis:

Ghiroli also passed along comments from manager Buck Showalter:

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At this point it's not up to me to gauge what’s fair or not fair. I know what the positive test was for and believe me I'm not condoning any positive test. Everybody knows what the rules are, so it is what it is. We've all made mistakes and none of us would like to have our whole life judged by our worst decision.

I'm disappointed. I know Chris is too, but it is what it is. We'll try to deal with it and move on. Timing's never good, but it's one of those challenges. It's why we have this in place. Fully supportive of it. These are the things that everybody knew about beforehand and it's another way that we want our fans to be able to trust a lot of things.

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Ghiroli had more from the Orioles:

Baltimore holds a 10-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, which means it will win the division, barring a colossal collapse. There are 17 games remaining in the Orioles' regular season, which means Davis' suspension will spill into the playoffs.

Per Jack Curry of YES Network, the suspension will keep Davis out of Baltimore's first eight postseason games should it advance that far:

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports notes when the Orioles will be allowed to put Davis back on their roster:

Eduardo Encina of The Baltimore Sun provides more details:

ESPN's Buster Olney indicated how he thinks this positive test will impact the rest of the league:

Davis hit a career-high 53 home runs and drove in 138 runs to go along with a .286 batting average last season. He finished third in the American League MVP voting and was named to his first All-Star team.

While the O's have had more success as a team in 2014, Davis' production has plummeted. The 28-year-old star is currently hitting a paltry .196 with 26 homers and 72 RBI.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post puts the numbers into perspective:

ESPN Stats and Info reveals how the Orioles perform without Davis in the lineup:

Even though Davis is in the midst of a dreadful campaign, his absence will undoubtedly hurt the Orioles. If nothing else, his presence in the lineup keeps opposing pitchers honest and allows the likes of Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz to see some hittable pitches.

Advancing through the AL in the playoffs against potential opponents like the Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels and others was going to be difficult no matter what, but the mountain just got even steeper for the Orioles.

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