'Back to the big leagues': Catcher Pedro Severino returns to Milwaukee Brewers after 80-game PED suspension

PITTSBURGH - His penance now paid in full, Pedro Severino was able to put a Milwaukee Brewers uniform back on Sunday morning for the first time since spring training.

The catcher, suspended for 80 games due to a positive PED test, was reinstated from the restricted list in advance of his team's series finale with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Outfielder Tyrone Taylor was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list in a corresponding move.

"I don’t think I’ve ever been this far away from the game in my 12-year career," Severino said through translator Carlos Brizuela. "It’s been my life, really, so it feels like my dream is happening again.

"Back to the big leagues is the feeling I’m feeling today."

Severino, who turns 29 on July 20, was suspended on April 5 — just two days prior to the Brewers' season opener for the use of clomiphene, an anti-estrogenic substance most commonly used to aid fertility in women.

It is not approved by the FDA for use by men for any condition but can alter testosterone levels.

Severino's statement in the wake of his suspension stated he'd utilized the medication in an attempt to start a family with his wife. While his departure at the end of spring training was abrupt, he made sure to address his teammates.

"When everything came out I met with them and explained to them what happened, what the situation was," he said. "I didn’t want them finding out from some other people or finding out different things that weren’t the truth, so I made sure they got the truth from me right away."

And what did he tell them?

"From 2020 to 2021 me and my wife had been trying to have a baby and it just wasn’t happening," Severino said. "So, after the season in 2021 when we went back to the Dominican we started seeing doctors trying to figure out what was going on, and it came back that it was me that was having the problem.

"So, the doctor prescribed me some medicine and I trusted her, and unfortunately that’s what I tested positive for. So, it was something that was a family matter, and unfortunately it trickled into the baseball world."

Severino's suspension left the Brewers scrambling and the next day they swung a trade with the San Diego Padres for Victor Caratini, who's since become a valuable contributor in a platoon with Omar Narváez.

Severino, meanwhile, remained at the Brewers' complex in Arizona.

"A lot of work," is how he described his time there. "Got a lot of help from the coaches on the minor-league side. A lot of help from the young guys — the Dominicans, the Venezuelans, the Americans. I was really happy I had their support, and the support of my teammates up here.

"There was a lot of support from everyone, and that helped a lot and that helped to get through the hard time that it was."

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Severino said he kept in regular communication with associate pitching, catching and strategy coach Walker McKinven during his time away. And while he'd like to be able to hit the ground running, Severino acknowledged it won't be easy.

In addition to catching, Severino also played some first base during his ramp-up in the minor leagues over the previous few weeks. Designated hitter might also be a way to get his right-handed bat into the lineup against left-handed pitching.

"It’s definitely hard, definitely a challenge coming into the team halfway through the season," Severino said. "The team is made already, we’re halfway, but I have to find ways to help the team wherever they need me.

"If they want me to play first, that’s something we’ve been doing lately. Or catching. Whatever they give me the chance, I have to try to support the team because at the end the team and the organization has one goal.

"We’re all trying to put out part into that goal to help the team win. That’s all that matters."

In addition to losing half of his pay this season — he signed a one-year, $1.9 million contract last November — Severino also is ineligible to play in the postseason if the Brewers advance for the fifth consecutive year.

"It’s definitely something hard," he acknowledged. "If you love the game, that’s what you play for. You play for the playoffs, to have a chance to go to the World Series. Knowing you won’t have a chance to do that is definitely hard because I was able to experience that in ‘16 and ‘17 with the Nationals.

"It was a great experience and I want to be able to do that with this team. Hopefully I help them as much as I can and in the future I will be able to help them make it deep into the playoffs."

Severino was asked if he was concerned about the stigma that comes along with a PED suspension.

"People are going to say and think whatever that want to say, and I can’t control that. Only God and I know what really happened," he said. "I’ll be honest with my teammates, with everyone close to me. They’ll know the truth coming from me.

"You can’t really control what other people are thinking or saying. I never thought about it that way. I haven’t really looked at comments or anything like that. I just try to get my work done and move on from it and try to be the best player I can from here on out."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pedro Severino returns to Milwaukee Brewers after PED suspension