SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Heading into spring training a year ago, right-hander Justin Lawrence had more hype surrounding him than arguably any other Rockies prospect.
But that momentum was completely derailed when the sidearming reliever struggled to an 8.76 ERA in 38 appearances across Double-A and Triple-A. Then, in the offseason, Lawrence was suspended 80 games for taking Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), a performance-enhancing substance in violation of MLB’s drug policy.
“This last year was a tough year for him,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He was coming off a great deal of momentum in 2018 with the second half of that season, the Arizona Fall League, being in big league camp for the first time, being on the radar with a lot of talk around the industry about his arm and about his stuff.