Mar 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado (46) walks back to the dugout after being relieved in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher
José Alvarado was back at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday for the first time since he was suspended for 80 games on May 18 following a failed performance-enhancing drug test.
He won't be eligible to rejoin the Phillies until Aug. 19, but threw a bullpen at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon before taking part in the team photo. It was evident when Alvarado sat down in the home dugout to talk with the collective media how excited he was to be back.
"I'm so happy," Alvarado said. "I'm so happy to be here again with my teammates. And thank you God."
Alvarado gave his first answer in English, but used an interpreter for much of the remainder of the press conference. That's understandable considering the severity of the topic being discussed, and that English is not Alvarado's first language. But rather than team interpreter Diego D'Aniello, it was assistant general manager Jorge Velandia, a fellow native of Venezuela, that interpreted on behalf of Alvarado.
Naturally, some tougher questions came. The first was whether Alvarado has addressed his teammates and coaching staff as a group, something he didn't do before departing town when the suspension began.
"First and foremost, just happy to be back," Alvarado said through Velandia. "He talked to all his teammates and the staff, he apologized to them. He has missed them deeply. He's happy to be back and be around the guys and he can't wait until he can contribute in some ways. He's apologized to everyone, and that's about it for now."
Alvarado acknowledged that the last 10-ish weeks have been "extremely tough" for him. He returned to Venezuela, something he doesn't necessarily even do most offseasons. He unplugged from social media, though says he continued to follow the Phillies closely. That was particularly tough for Alvarado when a point came in the game that he felt he normally would have entered in.
It was clear how contrite Alvarado was, and how upsetting this topic remains to him.
At that time of his suspension, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that Alvarado had taken a weight-loss drug that he wasn't aware would lead to the positive test for "exogenous testosterone."
He did come into Spring Training much slimmer than a year ago, so it's entirely possible that's what happened. But almost every player who fails a test for PEDs chalks it up to some sort of misunderstanding, rather than just getting caught attempting to cheat. What does Alvarado say to fans who don't believe this was an honest mistake?
"Rules are rules," Alvarado said via Velandia. "He takes full responsibility. The tests are the way they do it, and unfortunately this happened in his career. But he's willing to move past this and continue to go forward. And whatever ... the substance thing and all that is not for him to say, he just takes full responsibility."
Most players who fail PED tests say they didn’t purposely try to cheat. What does Josè Alvarado say to people who don’t believe him?
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/PwvRgaSY0t
What made Alvarado's suspension so difficult for the Phillies to stomach is that he had far and away been their top reliever before being suspended. In a bullpen where Jordan Romano got off to a nightmarish start and Orion Kerkering went through a difficult stretch in late April, Alvarado was pitching like an All-Star candidate. He had a 2.70 ERA, 1.86 FIP and 11.3 K/9 through his first 20 appearances of the season.
Alvarado said Tuesday that he doesn't believe the drug he took contributed to his strong performance to begin the year. Why, though, did Alvarado not check with the Phillies before taking the weight-loss drug?
"That's the protocol that we usually utilize," Velandia said in translating Alvarado's response. "He informed the team, and then after that [failed] test he had two negative tests. So he feels like his testosterone levels were a little high, and that's what came out on the test. But after that, that's the protocol that he did and he passed two tests."
That question and answer seemed to get lost in translation. Alvarado seemed to indicate in his answer that he informed the Phillies when the positive test was flagged. But the question was whether he had checked with the Phillies before beginning to take the weight-loss drug. If he had, they presumably would have been able to tell him not to take the drug because it contained a banned ingredient. So, On Pattison followed up on whether Alvarado had checked with the Phillies before beginning to take the drug.
"The response was yes," Velandia said. "He said that, yes."
When On Pattison reached out to the Phillies for clarity, a team spokesperson said that when they followed up with Alvarado, the pitcher said he misspoke. He did not check with the Phillies before taking what he took.
José Alvarado said he watched his teammates “every day” and that as hard as that was, he’s back now and “flushed the toilet” on the situation.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/N4cnOZ6ujc
Alvarado finished his press conference by answering in English that he had watched his teammates "every day," and that for as difficult as that was at times, he's now back and has "flushed the toilet" on the situation.
That would have been a great answer to end things on if the situation was over. The reality is that one of the terms of Alvarado's suspension is that he will be ineligible to pitch alongside bullpen teammates like Jhoan Duran, Matt Strahm and Kerkering in the postseason. The situation won't truly be over until next season, at which point Alvarado is uncertain to still be with the Phillies since they have a $9 million club option on him for 2026.
Whether the policy of making players who have already served an 80-game suspension also ineligible for the playoffs makes sense is a fair debate to be had. But these are the rules, and Alvarado will now be ineligible for the postseason after he pitches for the Phillies in August and September. And he seems to be distraught by that reality.
"Extremely, extremely disappointed ... painful ... sorrow," Velandia said in interpreting Alvarado's lengthy response on the matter. "He apologized once again to the fans, to the organization to his country, to everybody that's involved in all of his career ... his family.
"Unfortunately, he's not going to be able to participate if we make the playoffs, and that's something that's always going to carry in his heart that unfortunately he's not going to be able to do so."
