Minor leaguers face random HGH testing

Fri., July 23, 2010

NEW YORK – Major League Baseball implemented random blood testing for human growth hormone in the minor leagues on Thursday, the first professional sports league in the United States to take the aggressive step against doping.

The blood testing becomes part of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, which commissioner Bud Selig introduced in 2001 to test for performance-enhancing drugs.

“The implementation of blood testing in the minor leagues represents a significant step in the detection of the illegal use of human growth hormone,” Selig said in a statement.

Testing will be limited to minor league players because they are not members of the players’ association, which means that blood testing is not subject to collective bargaining.

Dr. Gary Green, the medical director for Major League Baseball, called the testing “a major development in the detection of a substance that has previously been undetectable.”

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Minor leaguers face random HGH testing

Jesse Tinsley

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