Baltimore Orioles Chris Davis suspended 25 games

BALTIMORE, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Baltimore Orioles star Chris Davis has been suspended for 25 games after testing positive for amphetamines.

The Major League Baseball Commissioner's office made the announcement Friday that the 2013 home run champion would be suspended without pay "after testing positive for an Amphetamine in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program."

Davis, 28, apologized in a statement after informing Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

"I apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Orioles organization and especially the fans," Davis said. "I made a mistake of taking Adderall. I had permission to use it in the past, but do not have a therapeutic use exemption this year. I accept my punishment and will begin serving my suspension immediately."

Adderall is often use for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but it is known as a cognitive and performance enhancer.

Davis will be banned from setting foot in the locker room for the length of his suspension.

The first-place Orioles are 10 games ahead in the American League East with 17 games left in the season. They will be without their slugger for at least the first round of the playoffs, the Division Series, and the first several games of the American League Championship Series, should they make it that far.

Catcher Matt Wieters and third baseman Manny Machado are both out with season-ending injuries.

"I'm disappointed," Showalter said. "I know Chris is too. It is what it is. We're going to try and deal with it and move on. The timing is never good. It's one of those challenges."

"You have to learn to deal with the problems and challenges along the way," he said. "If they are self-inflicted, there is no woe is me. And this is self-inflicted."