Controversy!MLB

Five More Players Have Been Linked To Biogenesis, Gio Gonzalez’s Name Sort Of Cleared

According to reports, five more players have been found on documents obtained by ESPN’s Outside the Lines from the now notorious Miami clinic Biogenesis. Also noteworthy is that Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez did not receive banned substances from the clinic, according to two sources familiar with Tony Bosch’s operation.

The five players that are indicated were Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, A’s reliever Jordan Norberto, Astros outfielder Fernando Martinez, recent Padres waiver claim reliever Fautino De Los Santos, and Mets outfield prospect Cesar Puello. You might have a hard time recognizing most of the names, except for Cabrera, who led the National League in steals in 2012. Their names were on a list as having received PEDs, but again, this isn’t hard proof that they took PEDs.

But if name association is enough to peg you, then Gonzalez’s image took somewhat of climb with the discovery that his name wasn’t associated with the brokerage of banned substances. Kinship with Bosch and the clinic at all at this point is probably a bad thing, but at least Gonzalez’s name has been somewhat cleared. According to ESPN:

Both sources, speaking independently, identified Gonzalez as the only Bosch client named thus far who did not receive performance-enhancing drugs. A document obtained by “Outside the Lines” bolsters their case: On a computer printout of clients, Gonzalez, identified by the code name “Gladiator,” is said to have received $1,000 worth of substances, but under “notes” are several substances not banned by Major League Baseball: “gluthetyn” (which a source said was a misspelling of glutathione), “IM [intramuscular] shots,” and amino acids.

Glutathione is an anti-oxidant, and one source said the “IM shots” Gonzalez received were “MICs,” a medically dubious but legal combination of methionine, inositol and choline, often used for weight loss.

As of now, at least 25 players have been mentioned on Bosch’s documents, though sources indicate that number is bound to go up. This round of players wasn’t as sexy as the A-Rods and Brauns of previous discovery, but if you’re looking for the PED police to fry bigger fish, I wouldn’t worry. This round of allegations looks like it most certainly won’t be the last.

[ESPN, Getty Images]