MLB has suspended Cardinals pitching prospect Alex Reyes 50 games for violating the league's drug policy.
Reyes tested positive for smoking marijuana and accepted culpability for his suspension.
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"I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize for disappointing my family, fans, teammates and the St. Louis Cardinals organization," Reyes said in a statement. "I acknowledge my inappropriate behavior and will accept the consequences. Baseball is my passion and I will do everything in my power to put this behind me and move forward."
The suspension is a result of a second positive test for Reyes and will take effect immediately. Reyes, who had been pitching for the Surprise Saguaros, will miss the remaining 10 games of the Arizona Fall League schedule and those games will count toward the 50-game total.
Baseball America ranked Reyes as the No. 2 prospect in the Cardinals organization before the 2015 season and Baseball Prospectus had him rated the 16th-best prospect in all of MLB in its mid-season ranking. Reyes is a New Jersey native who moved to the Dominican Republic after high school so he could sign with a team as a free agent instead of getting drafted. He signed a $950,000 deal with the Cardinals in December 2012.
The 21-year-old right-hander was 5-7 with a 2.49 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 101 1/3 innings in 22 starts at Rookie League Gulf Cost, High A Palm Beach and Double A Springfield this year.
Reyes will get a late start to the 2016 season, but Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak is hopeful Reyes can contribute next year.
"That’s still a possibility," he said, via MLB.com, "but this is certainly a large speed bump."