Angels’ Mike Trout believes PED users should be banned for life by MLB.

Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez was suspended 211 games last week by Major League Baseball. (Getty Images)

Mike Trout grounded out in his first at-bat Monday by hitting the ball to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Who knows who would have fielded the baseball if his preferred penalties for known steroid users were in effect.

Trout told a New York radio station Monday morning that he would support lifetime bans for players who were caught using performance-enhancing drugs.

“To me personally, I think you should be out of the game if you get caught,” Trout told WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton. “It takes away from the guys that are working hard every day and doing it all natural.”

Last week, Rodriguez was suspended 211 games — the remainder of this season and all of 2014 — on the strength of evidence that he used performance enhancing drugs obtained from the shuttered Biogenesis clinic. Rodriguez appealed his suspension and is allowed to play in the meantime.

Under Trout’s proposal, Rodriguez and 13 other major leaguers would have been out of the game for life.

“Some people are just trying to find that extra edge,” Trout told WFAN. “It’s tough as a guy that goes out there and plays hard every day and puts (out) 110 percent effort every time. And then you wake up the next day and you see there’s a list of guys that are, you know, on the list. It’s good that MLB caught them and they are moving in the right direction with suspensions.”

Trout walked and singled in five plate appearances Monday, extending his streak of games reaching base to 42.

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Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson to PED users: ‘Stop being a baby and move on.’

C.J. WilsonAngels pitcher C.J. Wilson, the Angels’ player representative to the MLB Players’ Association and a former teammate of suspended Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, addressed a crowd of reporters in the Angels dugout today. Here’s a sampling of his responses:
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Texas Rangers’ Nelson Cruz accepts 50-game ban, issues statement.

Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz issued a statement today after accepting a 50-game PED suspension from Major League Baseball. Here it is, courtesy of MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan:

“I have been notified by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball that I have been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement,” Cruz said in a statement. “I have decided to accept this suspension and not exercise my rights under the Basic Agreement to appeal. From November, 2011 to January, 2012, I was seriously ill with a gastrointestinal infection, helicobacter pylori, which went undiagnosed for over a month. By the time I was properly diagnosed and treated, I had lost 40 pounds. Just weeks before I was to report to spring training in 2012, I was unsure whether I would be physically able to play. Faced with this situation, I made an error in judgment that I deeply regret, and I accept full responsibility for that error. I should have handled the situation differently, and my illness was no excuse. I am thankful for the unwavering support of my family, friends, and teammates during this difficult time. I look forward to regaining the trust and respect of the Rangers organization, my teammates, and the great Rangers’ fans, and I am grateful for the opportunity to rejoin the team for the playoffs.”

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Reports: Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz will accept Biogenesis-related suspension.

Nelson Cruz

Nelson Cruz (sliding) is one of 12 major-league players connected to the shuttered Biogenesis clinic who will accept suspensions today, according to multiple reports. The Angels play the Texas Rangers tonight. (Getty Images)

According to multiple reports Monday morning, Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz is among the players who will be suspended today by Major League Baseball for using banned substances obtained through the shuttered Biogenesis clinic. Cruz is reportedly facing – and will accept – a 50-game suspension.

According to USA Today,

Rangers officials were blindsided by the news, only learning of Cruz’s decision Monday morning, hours before MLB was set to announce its discipline in the Biogenesis matter. They struggled to land a potential replacement for Cruz at the July 31 non-waivers trade deadline, and now will attempt to add depth by making a waiver trade before Aug. 31, a process that guarantees little.

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