Rockies prospect Welker gets 80-game ban for PEDs

Major League Baseball suspended Colorado Rockies third baseman Colton Welker 80 games on Thursday for violating the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Welker, on the Rockies’ 40-man roster but currently set to begin the 2021 season at Triple-A Albuquerque, tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), a performance-enhancing substance.

In a statement released through the MLB Players Association, Welker said he hopes to clear his name and the amount of DHCMT in his system could not have affected his performance.

“To my surprise and disappointment, I have learned that I have tested positive for Oral Turinabol, otherwise known as DHCMT. I want to make it very clear that I have never willingly nor intentionally ingested any substance to enhance my athletic performance.

“Given the information provided to me by the Players Association and laboratory, the amount detected was so minimal that it would have no effect on enhancing my performance. I understand that a number of other players, like me, have tested positive for this metabolite at microscopic levels, and I intend to join them in seeking answers as to how this is happening in order to clear my name.

“I hope to continue to receive the support of those who truly know the person I am, and what my family and I stand for.”

The Rockies also released a statement on Thursday evening, saying:

“The Colorado Rockies are disappointed to announce that infielder Colton Welker has tested positive for a substance banned under the terms of Major League Baseball’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, resulting in his 80-game suspension. The Rockies organization fully supports MLB’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and we believe that Colton will learn from this experience.”

Welker batted .362 (17-for-47) with two home runs, three doubles and 12 RBIs in 28 Cactus League games this spring.