NEW YORK After testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol on Friday, Boston Red Sox minor league pitcher Anthony Felix was suspended for 56 games under baseball’s drug policy for players deployed to countries other than the United States and Canada.

Felix, a 20-year-old right-hander, inked a $10,000 bonus deal with Boston in June. In 14 games this season, he went 2-0 with a 3.55 ERA and two saves in the Dominican Summer League.

This year, fourteen players have been punished due to positive drug tests; six of them were penalized under the minor league program and six under the new policy for minor league players sent outside of the US and Canada.

This year, two players have received suspensions as part of the major league drug program.

The best prospect for the Cincinnati Reds, 22-year-old infielder Noelvi Marté, missed the first 80 games after testing positive for benzodiazepines.

Two days after making his major league debut, Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martínez was suspended for 80 games on June 23 after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Clomiphene.

NL contender hands past Red Sox pitching target a demotion.

Jordan Montgomery, a left-handed pitcher, was connected to the Boston Red Sox several times during the previous offseason before the Arizona Diamondbacks signed him to a one-year, $25 million contract.

Following a 32-start, World Series-winning season with the Texas Rangers after starting with the St. Louis Cardinals, Montgomery’s output has dropped dramatically. With Montgomery’s 3.20 ERA in 2023 ballooning into a 6.44 ERA through 19 starts in a Diamondbacks shirt, the team felt compelled to make an unexpected move ahead of Friday night’s series opener at Fenway Park against the Red Sox.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo revealed that Montgomery was shifted from the starting rotation to the bullpen, as reported by MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. Montgomery has been with the team for eight years. The “tough” choice, according to Lovullo, was among the hardest the 59-year-old had to make since taking over as governor of Arizona.

“When we signed Jordan Montgomery, his reputation clearly spoke for itself,” Lovullo said on Friday to Arizona Sports’ “Burns & Gambo.” “He’s had some success and won a world title. However, with 34 or 35 games remaining in the season, I must make these difficult choices for the benefit of our club. Thus, despite how challenging it was, I thought he embraced it. The choice didn’t appeal to him. He will go to the bullpen and contribute to our victories there.”

After the Diamondbacks returned from the MLB All-Star break, Montgomery’s troubles throughout the entire season continued into the first half of play. In his last four outings on the mound, he has given up a total of 14 earned runs (20 1/3 innings), falling short of pitching more than six innings. For the Diamondbacks, who lost the World Series to Montgomery and the Rangers the previous year and are expected to make a push this time around, Montgomery’s second-half 2-1 record with a 6.44 ERA is also a cause for serious concern.

With a 72-56 record, Arizona is ranked first in the wild card race and second in the National League West.