“We could have easily just said, ‘he’s getting a call-up in September,’ and this wouldn’t have been announced, he would have got a warning like I’m sure a lot of other players around the league have gotten– something like this.

That would have also burned his MLB drug test warning though, meaning that if Stroman tested positive for something again someday he would get a 50 game MLB suspension.

Now (and correct me if I'm wrong) Stroman can test positive as a Major Leaguer and get one "warning" freebie before he gets suspended.

So, why waste his freebie when the Jays are going nowhere when you might need that freebie to come while Stroman is pitching for a contending Jays team in the future?

Do they get a warning with the first positive test? Has anybody ever heard of this before? AA needs to clarify.

I think what it means is there is stuff a guy gets warnings for in the majors that, in the minors, gets you a suspension. I think AA is using it as a lesson for Stroman and others that if you are going to do dumb things (not double check that what you are taking is safe to take or whatever) they won't save you. Some players will be glad about that (the ones who do things right) and others won't (feel the team isn't protecting them).

I haven't followed the Stroman suspension, so I do not know anything about it. What was he suspended for? I thought you only got warnings for recreational drugs? Did he get suspended for something that wouldn't have suspended him in the majors? Etc.

Stroman was suspended for methylhexaneamine, a banned stimulant that is a pretty common ingredient in over-the-counter supplements.

What I found interesting is that Keith Law said afterward that the Blue Jays should go ahead and bring him up so he could get some work at the major league level this year. Is a suspended minor leaguer allowed to play in the majors? If so, that's all kinds of bizarre.

Right, in MLB you get a warning for your first positive for amphetamines. If you test positive again, you get a 25-game suspension, not a 50-game suspension. Mike Cameron is the only MLBer I recall getting a speed suspension. In the minors, I think speed is dealt with the same as other PEDs.

Is AA correct about how it would have been handled had he been added to the 40-man? If you test positive as a minor-leaguer but get added to the 40-man prior to the final decision, your case is then switched to MLB rules? Seems a little odd although I can see the issues with treating it the other way. Mainly an issue with the stupidity of having two sets of rules.