Mariners minor league pitcher Jose Zerpa suspended for 80 games for positive drug test

By The Associated Press
May 22, 2026 | 5:04 PM

NEW YORK (AP) — Seattle Mariners pitcher Jose Zerpa was suspended for 80 games Friday following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol under baseball’s minor league drug program.

A 21-year-old Venezuelan right-hander, Zerpa is 4-1 with a a 4.70 ERA in 10 relief appearances this year for Class A Inland Empire in the California League. He signed a minor league contract with Seattle in 2023 that included a $10,000 bonus.

He is the seventh player disciplined this year for a drug violation.

Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for the entire season on March 3 after testing positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites. The failed test was Profar’s second offense under the drug rules.

Free agent outfielder Max Kepler was banned for 80 games on Jan. 9 after a positive test for Epitrenbolone.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

By WTOP Staff
July 23, 2026 | 2:09 PM

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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