Former Rays' dominant reliever receives lengthy suspension for substance abuse

Rays' fans haven't seen the utter dominant potential from a reliever since Jose Alvarado stepped on the mound in Tampa Bay. The stats weren't always a pretty sight, but the sheer talent was immeasurable. A 99-mph sinker teamed up with a low-mid 90's cutter kept every hitter off-balance. The movement and velocity were unmatched once his command got under control. Unfortunately, this left-handed flamethrower will now face an 80-game suspension for substance abuse.

This news will likely affect Phillies' fans the most, as Alvarado was on pace to have one of his best seasons as a professional. In 20 innings this year, the Venezuelan reliever was an impressive 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA. The bullpen will look awful dry without his presence.

However, Rays fans will always remember the impact that Jose Alvarado had on their club as well. He pitched for Tampa Bay in parts of four consecutive seasons, missing time in 2018 and 2019 due to a family emergency. Nonetheless, the Rays were very pleased with how he held himself in their uniform. The control wasn't always there, but overall his performance gave the club a much-needed boost out of the pen.

The lefty completed his tenure with the Rays in the shortened 2020 season as he was traded to the Dodgers immediately following that season for another left-handed reliever, Garrett Cleavinger. Alvarado sported a very respectable 3.46 ERA in four seasons with the Rays and racked up a healthy 161 strikeouts in only 132.2 innings of work. Those numbers are a testament to how unhittable he could be at times. It was a joy to watch him when he was on top of his game, and ultimately on top of the American League.

Unfortunately, Jose Alvarado has recently received an 80-game suspension for PED use. This issue has occurred multiple times in recent years with the most recent one being Braves newly acquired outfielder, Jurickson Profar. It's hard to understand why these players wrongly disobey this strict ruling, but it certainly hurts the game and their fanbases. Hopefully, Alvarado can serve his consequence well and then return to the mound with the same confidence.