Major League Baseball on Tuesday announced that Orioles right-hander Matt Harvey has been suspended for a span of 60 games for distribution of a banned substance. Here's the league's brief statement:
"The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Baltimore Orioles pitcher Matt Harvey has received a 60-game suspension without pay for participating in the distribution of a prohibited Drug of Abuse in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
The start date of Harvey's 60-game suspension is retroactive to April 29, 2022."
Earlier this year, Harvey testified in the trial concerning former Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay's role in the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, and this suspension stems from Harvey's admissions in court about his time with the Angels. Here's part of what Harvey testified about during his time on the stand, via our R.J. Anderson:
Harvey stated that he would provide Skaggs with Percocet pills, and that painkiller usage was common among players in 2019. He also told the court about how, after being told he wasn't traveling with the Angels on what proved to be that fateful road trip, he asked Kay for an oxycodone pill. When Harvey woke up the following morning and heard about Skaggs' death, he told the court that he threw away the pill because he feared something would happen to him, according to The Athletic.
During the trial, Harvey acknowledged that he had been granted immunity in exchange for his testimony. At the time of the trial, an MLB official told T.J. Quinn that Harvey could face league discipline for admitting to distributing opioids. Indeed, that is what has happened.
Harvey, now 33, is with the Orioles on a minor-league contract. He appeared in 28 games for the Orioles last season but has not been a reliable performer at the major-league level since 2018.
