Showalter: Davis gets exemption
Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis, who was suspended 25 games in September for testing positive for amphetamines, has received clearance from Major League Baseball to use Adderall in the 2015 season, manager Buck Showalter told reporters Tuesday.
Davis blamed his violation of MLB's drug program on his use of the drug, which is commonly used to combat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It was his second failed test.
He missed the final 17 games of the 2014 regular season because of the ban, and then he sat out all seven of the Orioles' playoff games. That means Davis has one more game left to serve in his suspension.
"It's a good thing," Showalter said in reference to Davis gaining therapeutic use exemption for Adderall. "Yeah, he told me he was approved for it."
At the time of the suspension, Davis said he previously had permission to use Adderall but was not cleared for it in 2014.
"I accept my punishment and will begin serving my suspension immediately," he said in a statement.
Gaining therapeutic use exemptions from MLB isn't unique. According to the Baltimore Sun, 112 exemptions were issued for ADHD in 2014, with an industry source telling the newspaper that 11 were new applications and 101 were renewals.
Davis, 28, was traded from the Texas Rangers to the Orioles in 2011. He collected MLB highs in home runs (53) and RBIs (138) in 2013, but struggled last season, hitting .196 with 26 HRs, 72 RBIs and 173 strikeouts in 127 games.
