Chicago White Sox Prospect Andre Rienzo Suspended
According to Matt Eddy at Baseball America, Major League Baseball has suspended Chicago White Sox pitching prospect Andre Rienzo for 50 games, after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drug use. Rienzo was off to an excellent start for High-A Winston-Salem in the Carolina League, posting a 3-0 record in four starts with a 1.08 ERA and a 31/7 K/BB ratio in 25 innings, allowing just 17 hits.
Signed out of Brazil in 2006, Rienzo is 23 years old and has a lively 90-93 MPH fastball. He's made some progress with his breaking ball and changeup and was obviously pitching well in the early going this year, showing substantially improved command. He posted a 3.41 ERA with a 118/66 K/BB in 116 innings for Winston-Salem last year. I've liked Rienzo as a sleeper prospect for a couple of years, but that's on hold now until we see how he pitches without PEDs.
Cleveland Indians minor league pitcher Harold Guerrero was also suspended. He is a 21-year-old lefty from the Dominican Republic who is not in Rienzo's class as a prospect.