MLB Reports Low Positive Drug Tests and ADHD Exemptions in Annual Report

Major League Baseball (MLB) and the players' association revealed on Friday that there were only two positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) resulting in discipline during the year ending with the World Series. Exemptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also remained low.

Independent program administrator Thomas M. Martin's annual report detailed 11,609 tests, including 9,455 urine samples and 2,154 blood samples to detect human growth hormone. This total is slightly down from last year’s record of 11,783 samples, comprising 9,550 urine and 2,233 blood samples. The 2024 total still ranks as the third-highest, trailing only 2019 and 2023.

Offseason testing saw an increase in urine tests, rising from 1,698 to 1,706, and there were 407 offseason blood tests.

Among players on 40-man rosters, the only positive tests involved Cincinnati infielder Noelvi Marté and Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martínez. Marté was suspended for the first 80 games of 2024 after testing positive for boldenone, while Martínez received an 80-game suspension on June 23 following a positive test for clomiphene, just two days after his MLB debut. There were no positive tests for banned stimulants resulting in suspensions, as a first positive typically leads to follow-up testing and a second positive results in a 50-game suspension.

​This report highlights MLB's ongoing efforts to maintain a clean and fair playing field, with a stringent testing program and low incidence of PED use among players.