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NEW YORK (AP) - Players from Spanish-speaking countries are getting tripped up by baseball's steroids policy at a disproportionate rate, raising concerns that they don't understand the rules on banned substances — including over-the-counter supplements bought back home.
More than half the players suspended for positive tests at both the major and minor league levels were born in Latin America, according to a review of their birth places by The Associated Press. By comparison, about a quarter of players on opening-day major league rosters were born in Spanish-speaking countries.
"I think it's just lack of communication," said Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Jose Valentin, who was born in Puerto Rico. "You've got a lot of young Latin players who don't understand the language. They probably don't know what's going on and they're not into it, in terms of meetings and stuff like that. I mean, you get some papers in your locker during spring training and during the season, and they're in English."
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