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Orioles pitcher Matt Harvey has been been suspended 60 games by Major League Baseball for violating the league’s joint drug program, MLB announced Tuesday. The suspension’s start date is retroactive to April 29.
The punishment comes after Harvey testified during the trial of former Angels communications director Eric Kay regarding the drug overdose death of Tyler Skaggs in February. During testimony, Harvey discussed his and Skaggs’s drug use, and admitted that he supplied Skaggs with opioids while the two were teammates.
Kay was later found guilty on two counts of drug distribution resulting in death and drug conspiracy.
Harvey and Skaggs were teammates with the Angels in 2019. Since then, Harvey has pitched with the Royals and Orioles, and signed with Baltimore in April on a minor league contract.
During Kay’s trial, five players testified and admitted to using opioids, though Harvey was the only one who said he supplied them to Skaggs. Using opioids in of itself does not result in an automatic suspension, but distributing them does.
Harvey has played on five teams in the past four years, most recently starting 28 games for the Orioles in 2021. Last season, he went 6–14 with a 6.27 ERA in 28 starts.
