Johan Rojas officially suspended 80 games for PEDs, Phillies can finally move on

MLB made it official on Monday. Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas has been suspended 80 games without pay after testing positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing drug, in violation of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Johan Rojas attempted to appeal but was unsuccessful. The discipline stands.

Phillies Statement on Johan Rojas

The Phillies issued the following statement regarding Johan Rojas: pic.twitter.com/F00q9CsCSw

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 16, 2026

The news first broke on March 3 and Rojas remained in Phillies camp appearing in Grapefruit League games while the appeal played out. He declined to comment on March 4 when reporters asked. He was also blocked from joining the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic during that window.

Because the suspension is 80 games, Rojas will be ineligible for the postseason entirely in 2026. He did not make the Phillies’ NLDS roster last October either, so that part at least is not a new development.

Johan Rojas Officially Suspended 80 Games for PEDs

Johan Rojas was suspended for the first 80 games of the season by Major League Baseball following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone. 😲 pic.twitter.com/kxFxiHRfLo

— theScore (@theScore) March 16, 2026

Johan Rojas is 25 and slashed .224/.280/.289 in 71 games with the big league club last season. He hit .279 in Triple-A. He was never a major league hitter. He took PEDs and that did not fix it either.

The Phillies have been carrying the Johan Rojas experiment longer than the results ever justified and now the decision has been made for them. He will be sidelined into the summer and the Phillies will lean on their depth group in camp to fill the defense and speed role he was competing for on the bench.

This is the second Phillies player in two consecutive years to be disciplined under MLB’s program. Jose Alvarado received an 80-game suspension last season. Max Kepler, who was on the 2025 club and is now a free agent, was also disciplined this offseason for PEDs. The Phillies released a statement expressing full support for the program and disappointment in the violation.

Honestly, good. Time to move on and move far away from the idea that Johan Rojas was ever going to be an everyday player at the major league level.

Join The Chase