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Not again: Jenrry Mejia suspended 162 games after positive steroid test

(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)

For the second time this season, New York Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia has failed a steroid test. Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that Mejia had once again tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. As a result, Mejia will now miss the club's next 162 games.

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The move seems to have come as a shock to many within the organization.

Carig is referring to Mets general manager Sandy Alderson there, obviously.

It's not just members of the front office, though. Some of Mejia's teammates expressed disbelief that this could happen again.

(@Vic_Black_2)
(@Vic_Black_2)

Black's tweet has since been deleted, but it's easy to understand why he was frustrated with the news.

Mejia tested positive for Stanozolol and Boldenore, two performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for Stanozolol back in April, so this is the second time this season he's been caught using that drug.

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

As we've seen with most suspensions, teammates of players who test positive are generally supportive once those guys return. Whether or not they truly feel that way, they at least put on a good act for the media.

With Mejia testing positive again, we can see why Black would be upset. Mejia put his club in a bad position once again. While it appears the players are willing to deal with their teammates making a mistake once, making that same mistake a second time is unacceptable.

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The news does put the Mets in a rough spot. Mejia had emerged as a useful member of the bullpen over the past two seasons, and would have helped the club during the second half. While he was unable to pitch in the postseason due to his first suspension, he was still a good piece to have on a contending club.

Tyler Clippard was brought in on Monday to strengthen the bullpen, and this news skews the way analysts should evaluate the deal now. Clippard was supposed to pair with Mejia and Jeurys Familia to give the Mets a solid trio at the back end. Now, he merely takes Mejia's spot. Clippard's a good reliever, but now it looks like the Mets are just treading water with the move instead of improving their bullpen. That's all due to this suspension.

If there's any positive in all of this, it's that the Mets have been able to get by without Mejia for most of the year. The team doesn't necessarily need him to be successful, even though he would have helped down the stretch.

The loss does hurt, though, and one would think it could have been easily prevented. That's the most frustrating part of the whole thing. Mejia knew he would be monitored more closely, and still got popped with another positive test.

The Mets were already clawing to get their way back into the playoff race, and losing Mejia could certainly make the difference down the stretch. His teammates have every right to be angry about the suspension.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik