Close to getting a call up to the major leagues, St. Thomas native Jabari Blash took a step back last week when he was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
Blash’s Tacoma Rainiers team, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners organization, has about 64 games left to play this year and once he comes back, Blash has to prove that he’s still on top of his game. With the suspension, the call up to the Mariners may not come as quickly as Blash, and all his fans in the territory, may have hoped.
While the state of Washington does allow residents 21 years and older to possess small amounts of marijuana for medical or recreational use, it is still not allowed in baseball under the players’ collective bargaining agreements. During interviews with other national and local media outlets, Blash took full responsibility and said he has to “deal with the consequences” of his “mistake.”
Blash was at spring training in Arizona when the suspension, which begins immediately, was announced late last week. According to news reports, this is the second time he had a positive test, which initially drew a warning from MLB.
Blash received national and local media attention in April after getting the bump up to Triple-A and, earlier this month, the 24-year-old once again made headlines after hitting three home runs in consecutive at bats to help push his team to a 13-4 victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas.
