Mets' Robinson Cano suspended for 2021 season after positive PED test

This is the second time Cano has been handed a suspension for PEDs. The 38-year-old was suspended 80 games while playing for the Seattle Mariners in 2018 after testing positive for furosemide, a diuretic used to help mask banned substances in urine tests. At the time, Cano said he received the drug from a licensed doctor in his native Dominican Republic, saying it was used to treat "various medical conditions" in the country and in the United States. 

According to an agreement made between MLB and the Players Association, a second positive PED test result is an automatic 162-game suspension. It is not known what banned substance Cano tested positive for this time around. 

If Cano tests positive for PEDs for a third time, he'll receive a permanent suspension from baseball. 

Cano was traded to the Mets in 2018. While he did struggle in his first season in New York, Cano averaged .316 at the plate during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign. He had 30 RBIs and 10 home runs on the year. 

The eight-time All-Star has two years remaining on the 10-year, $240 million deal he signed with the Mariners in 2013. He'll become a free agent after the 2023 campaign.