Mariners’ David Rollins regrets decision to take banned substance

PEORIA, Ariz. – MLB has announced that Mariners Rule 5 pick David Rollins has been suspended 80 games for testing positive for the steroid Stanozolol. Rollins met with a small number of media Friday and expressed regret for the decision he made to take the substance.

“I made a bad judgment. I deeply regret what I did. I have been regretting it ever since,” he said, voice shaking slightly. “It has been tough for me and my family. I just want to apologize to my fans, my family, the Seattle organization. I just want to express to everyone how disappointed I feel.”

Rollins admitted to taking the substance when he returned from winter ball to fight arm soreness and try to speed up recovery.

“It was a banned substance and a dumb mistake on my part,” he said. “At the end of the day I have got to live with my decision.”

He does not plan to appeal the suspension.

Rollins said that the hardest part was telling general manager Jack Zduriencik and his own family after he was notified. It was, of course, not news Zduriencik was expecting.

“Yeah, it’s a shock,” Zduriencik said. “We’re disappointed. An error in judgment. The young man made a mistake. We will stand by him, we will help him through this. There is still a lot to be determined, his Rule 5 status, how that plays out. We don’t have all the answers right now.”

Rollins will come off the 40-man roster. His departure leaves the Mariners without what looked to be a good option for a left-handed relief role. He had performed well in camp, allowing just one run this spring.

“It’s unfortunate,” Zduriencik said. “He was in a good position how he was pitching, where he was at with the ballclub. Now you have to recalculate.”

The Mariners are left with Tyler Olson and Joe Saunders to battle for the second lefty position in the bullpen if they elect to go with two. Rollins knows, and has known for the past few days, that he has let a very good opportunity to make it to the big leagues get by.

“It’s been heavy on my heart,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy on me the last couple of days. I am just happy I showed that I could compete. I made a bad decision and it is costing me.”

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