So far, the Johan Rojas suspension situation has been a cocktail of reporting and conjecture with very minimal actual news coming out of Major League Baseball. I want to try to nail down what we know with a big acknowledgement to Wilber Sanchez and Matt Gelb for doing the actual reporting part in all of this instead of everyone just speculating (myself included).
Rojas was drug tested over the winter by MLB at some point and apparently failed his test. The collective bargaining agreement dictates that this is the beginning of the story, not the end. Teams are not even notified of the failed test at this point in the process. Instead, the player can have his sample tested again and review the full process that led to the positive test. Once the player has had the chance to review everything and the sample verified as a positive, only then is the team notified, but the public is still in the dark. The player can then appeal the decision to an arbitrator, which is basically a private court. During this whole process, the player can still play. Not until an arbitrator confirms the ruling and everything is finalized will the player be suspended 80 games for a first failed test and 162 for a second. Rojas is only facing a first suspension.
Rojas is currently in the middle of this process. The reason we know about the initial failed test is because he was sent home from his World Baseball Classic team, the Dominican Republic. This confirmed something was up without confirming anything specific at all. In any non-WBC situation, we never would have known.
It was originally speculated that Rojas failed a WBC test for marijuana and was sent home. The WBC frowns upon weed use while MLB no longer cares. That was wishful thinking. Instead, the WBC got word of the failed MLB test and Rojas was declared ineligible. So now, he is playing in Clearwater as the legal process runs its course.
What does all this mean? Unless something crazy happened, he will be suspended 80 games. There’s no leeway on the length of the suspension; if it is any games at all, it is 80 games. He will also be ineligible for the post season. Essentially, he’s a 4th outfielder for the second half of the season if he’s even called up to the Major League roster. After that, who knows.
Rojas was in contention for the final roster spot this spring but probably didn’t have a leg up on the spot due to his involvement in the WBC and having 1 more option year. That spot will now likely go to either Bryan de la Cruz, Pedro Leon, or someone not currently in the organization.
It has seemed like Rojas wasn’t a favorite within the organization for 2 years now. This won’t help things. Not only has he failed to improve in any way at the plate, but his defense has slipped, and he wasn’t available when they needed him at the end of last year. Granted, he was injured, but that still affects organizational opinion. If I had to bet, this is his final year with the Phillies.
There has been talk that the Phillies as a team are systemically cheating because this marks the 3rd positive test in the last 12 months as Rojas joins Jose Alvarado and Max Kepler. It’s certainly possible that the Phillies have a trainer or someone close to the team who is providing PEDs but that is also wild speculation with no proof whatsoever. It could just as easily be 3 guys independently trying to get back something they lost to stay in the big leagues. It is what it is.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that this was a false positive and he isn’t suspended at all.
Philly Front Office 
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