Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez suspended 50 games for drug violation

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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez was suspended 50 games Tuesday for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug.

The former all-star said in a statement that he was not using the unspecified drug to improve his performance. Instead, he said, it was a drug prescribed to him in the Dominican Republic as part of treatment to start a family with his wife.

‘As a result, I tested positive when I reported to spring training,’ said Volquez, 26, whose suspension starts Wednesday. ‘Although I understand that I must accept responsibility for this mistake and have chosen not to challenge my suspension, I want to assure everyone that this was an isolated incident involving my genuine effort to treat a common medical issue.’

Volquez is recovering from reconstructive surgery on his elbow and was expected to rejoin the Reds around midseason. He was 17-6 with an ERA of 3.21 during his 2008 all-star season.

-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.