Ex-Yankees star Robinson Caro suspended for steroids | What you need to know

by Felix Pantaleón

Ex-Yankees star second baseman Robinson Cano, now with the Seattle Mariners, has been suspended for using steroids. Cano had repeatedly denied PED use in the past. On
Tuesday, May 15, 2018 (5/15/18), MLB handed Cano an 80-game suspension for the use of furosemide, which Cano claims is not an performance-enhancing drug.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Another Yankees legend, another steroids suspension.

Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano has been suspended 80 games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Cano seemed like he would be a surefire Hall of Famer — and that he could wear a Yankees cap into Cooperstown.

Cano said he was banned for using furosemide, which he said isn’t a performance-enhancing drug.

pic.twitter.com/ywAI41mHzL

— Robinson Cano (@RobinsonCano) May 15, 2018

Now it’s uncertain he’ll ever earn enshrinement.

Cano has repeatedly denied using steroids in the past, though he was linked to the Biogenesis scandal that shook the sport in 2013.

Cano, 35, had his hand fractured when Tigers righty Blaine Hardy hit him with an 88-mph fastball Monday. He was expected to be out as long as the All-Star break.

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The ban will keep him out much longer.

Cano spent nine seasons with the Yankees, helping them to a World Series in 2009.

He’s been to eight All-Star games, six of them while in pinstripes. He’s had five top-10 MVP finishes and has been considered one of the best, if not the best, second baseman in the game for more than a decade.

Cano left the Yankees in dramatic fashion in late 2013, signing a $240 million deal with the Mariners that New York refused to match.

Cano hit .309 with 204 home runs, 822 RBI and a .860 OPS with the Yankees. For his career, he’s at a .304 average with 305 homers, 1,206 RBI and a .848 OPS. He was off to a solid start in 2018, hitting .287 with four bombs and 23 RBI and a .825 OPS.

Cano joins a long list of Yankees stars with steroid pasts. Cano was close friends with Alex Rodriguez, who was twice caught using steroids with the Yankees. Rodriguez earned a full-season ban for 2014 but has since rejoined the public’s good graces as a TV personality and baseball analyst.

The Yankees signed Cano out of his native Dominican Republic in 2001.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.