By ALEX COFFEY The Philadelphia Inquirer
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PHILADELPHIA — Phillies reliever José Alvarado has been suspended without pay for 80 games after testing positive for exogenous testosterone, a performance-enhancing drug, MLB announced Sunday. As a result, Alvarado will not be eligible for the postseason this year.

In a corresponding move, the Phillies reinstated reliever Jose Ruiz from the 15-day injured list before Sunday’s game against the Pirates Pirates. In a statement, the team said the following:

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“The Phillies fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Prevention and Treatment Program and are disappointed to hear today’s news of José’s violation.”

Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, said he learned about the official suspension on Sunday morning, but had heard rumblings of it when the team was in Tampa earlier this month. He talked to Alvarado about it, and said he believes that the reliever was not taking the substance knowingly.

Dombrowski said Alvarado had taken a weight-loss drug during the offseason, which led to a positive test. He said the reliever tested positive “a while ago” — he didn’t know the exact date — and had two subsequent negative tests after that.

“The system is very stringent, in the sense that you’re responsible for what goes into your body,” Dombrowski said. “That’s what it really comes down to. And so I know what he was doing. He was trying to take a weight loss reduction.

“He’s always been self-conscious of his weight, he’s been working hard on it, and something he took gave [him] a positive [test] result. But ultimately, it’s a situation where if that happens, you’re still responsible.”

Dombrowski characterized the loss as “disappointing,” but said he’s treating it like he would any other long-term injury.

“I’ve had plenty of players be injured and miss postseasons and clubs that won world championships and all that,” he said. “It’s not ideal, by any means. It’s not something you want to see happen, but you just have to deal with it. It’s like an injury. And when you go into the postseason, it’s probably actually easier to deal with during the postseason, because you have starters that can become relievers during that time period. And we also have the trading deadline in the meantime.