Longtime Major League Baseball pitcher Matt Harvey has been suspended 60 games for distributing a drug of abuse under Major League Baseball’s drug program, the league announced on Tuesday.
Currently playing for the Baltimore Orioles Triple-A affiliate, Harvey had admitted that he provided oxycodone to late Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs in federal court during the trial of Eric Kay. Harvey said that, along with using cocaine, he gave and received oxycodone from Skaggs. Harvey was granted immunity from criminal prosecution in exchange for his testimony at the trial, though that didn’t apply to MLB.
Harvey’s suspension is retroactive to April 29.
Once a promising young star for the New York Mets, Havey’s played for the team between 2012 and 2018 in a stint full of lots of promise and lots of problems. Since then, he’s bounced around the pros, playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Orioles. After not being re-signed last year, he signed a minor-league deal with Baltimore in April.
The 33-year-old went 6-14 with a 6.27 ERA in 28 starts for the Orioles last season and his MLB career stands at 50–66 with a 4.42 ERA and 867 strikeouts. He was named an All-Star in 2013 and NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2015.
The news of the suspension wasn’t terribly surprising given what Harvey had admitted to. Still, it garnered a strong reaction from around the baseball world on social media.
Matt Harvey breaks my heart.
— Kate Feldman (@kateefeldman) May 17, 2022
[ESPN]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.