Cristopher Larez, a Mets minor leaguer who was one of the team’s biggest international signings this year, was hit with a 56-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Major League Baseball announced Monday.
The Venezuelan shortstop, 17, tested positive for Boldenone, according to the announcement.
Larez signed a $1.4 million signing bonus with the Mets in January. MLB Pipeline ranked Larez as the No. 43 prospect on this year’s international list, describing him as “one of the most polished shortstops in the class” who “has a chance to be a five-tool player at a premium position.”
“Larez shows good bat-to-ball skills and has a chance to be a plus hitter in the future,” the MLB Pipeline scouting report reads. “He shows some strength now. There’s also a chance he develops more power as he grows and his body matures.”
The teenager received the third-highest ranking among international free agents signed by the Mets this year, trailing only catcher Daiverson Gutierrez (No. 27) and outfielder Anthony Baptist (No. 29).
Larez played in 24 games in the Dominican Summer League after joining the Mets organization, batting .274 with a home run, 13 RBI and nine stolen bases.
The Mets have placed an emphasis on retooling their minor league system amid a disappointing season. They traded three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers for top prospect Luisangel Acuña and fellow three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to the Astros for a pair of touted minor-league outfielders in Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford.
They also traded relievers David Robertson and Dominic Leone, outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha and infielder Eduardo Escobar for prospects.
Francisco Alvarez was out of the Mets’ starting lineup for a second game in a row Monday, three days after manager Buck Showalter shared plans to monitor the rookie catcher’s workload.
The 21-year-old didn’t start Sunday’s series finale in St. Louis but pinch hit for designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach in the sixth inning and recorded a hit in two at-bats.
Alvarez entered Monday’s road matchup against the Braves with 21 home runs in 94 games.
“I think sometimes, because someone’s young, they think they can play in every inning and every pitch,” Showalter said Friday. “You don’t necessarily see things [affect them] physically. You see concentration, you see the mental and emotional part of it. You get mentally and emotionally tired more than you get physically. … He’s in a good place right now and we’re just trying to keep him [there].”
With News Wire Services
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