Top Red Sox Prospect Michael Chavis Suspended 80 Games for Positive PED Test

Boston Red Sox minor leaguer Michael Chavis' road to The Show has hit a snag. 

Chavis was suspended for 80 games on Friday after failing a drug test, per MLB Pipeline:

He denied ever knowingly taking a banned substance in a statement:

According to MLB.com, the 22-year-old third baseman is the No. 1 overall prospect in the Red Sox organization.

Chavis was expected to start the season with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, although an oblique injury suffered during spring training landed him on the disabled list.

A first-round pick by Boston in the 2014 draft, Chavis had been working his way up through the minors the past few seasons. He ended last season at Double-A after a midseason promotion, hitting .250/.310/.492 with 14 home runs, 18 doubles and 39 RBI in 67 games.

The right-handed hitter has a career .251/.317/.455 slash line with 56 homers, 87 doubles, nine triples and 204 RBI in four minor-league seasons.

Chavis still had progress to make this season, but it would not have been a surprise for him to debut in the majors next year. With this suspension, though, that timetable could be pushed back.