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Here鈥檚 what you need to know about clomiphene and whether Martinez could be telling the truth.

What is clomiphene?

Clomiphene, also known by the brand name Clomid, is a fertility medicine primarily used by women. But it can also be prescribed to men who struggle with low testosterone.

鈥淏asically, it tricks their bodies into producing more testosterone naturally,鈥� said Ken Kirkwood, a professor at Western University who studies doping in sports.

That鈥檚 especially useful for treating infertility, because taking testosterone by itself can negatively affect fertility, Kirkwood said. Studies have shown that for men with low testosterone, taking clomiphene can double their testosterone.

Why is it considered a performance-enhancing drug?

Because clomiphene raises testosterone, it is prohibited by Major League Baseball and is on the World Anti-Doping Agency鈥檚 prohibited list.

Performance-enhancing drugs are taken in cycles, Kirkwood said. When a player takes steroids, the body stops producing testosterone because it鈥檚 already full of it 鈥� but once the player stops for their off cycle, the body produces testosterone at very low levels.

鈥淭heir body isn鈥檛 producing any, so they feel terrible,鈥� Kirkwood said. 鈥淪omething like clomiphene 鈥� basically restarts your own natural production. Instead of being like starting at zero again, it allows you to stay at a relatively high level.鈥�

Is Martinez鈥檚 excuse believable?

In a , Martinez said he and his girlfriend have been trying to start a family for two years. A fertility clinic in the Dominican Republic prescribed him a medication called Rejun 50, he said, and that medication contained clomiphene.

鈥淲e wanted to keep this matter private, even within our family, and trusted the doctor who assured us this treatment did not include performance-enhancing drugs,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淭herefore, I made the mistake of not disclosing this to my team or the MLBPA.鈥�

Kirkwood said Martinez鈥檚 story is plausible, especially because of how much time, effort and education it takes to properly understand the full list of drugs players can and can鈥檛 take.

鈥淚f you had the sniffles, you鈥檇 go into the Shoppers and get a drug off the shelf,鈥� Kirkwood said. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檙e an athlete, you can鈥檛 just do that. You鈥檝e gotta read your book about which drugs you can take and what you can鈥檛.鈥�

It is also very common for players to rely on the excuse that they didn鈥檛 know what was in their medication, Kirkwood said.

Milwaukee Brewers catcher Pedro Severino told a story similar to Martinez鈥檚 when he was suspended for clomiphene in 2022. He said he had been unsuccessfully trying to start a family with his wife and was prescribed medication in the Dominican Republic that contained the banned drug.

In another example from 2022, San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended 80 games after testing positive for clostebol. Tatis originally said he 鈥渋nadvertently鈥� took the drug as part of his treatment for ringworm, which he contracted when getting a haircut. Later, he said he took medication to treat a skin infection.

鈥淭hese excuses sometimes are transparent bulls—-, but sometimes these stories are believable,鈥� Kirkwood said. As for Martinez鈥檚? 鈥淭hat鈥檚 better than, 鈥業 got it from a taco,鈥� or something like that.鈥�

What happens now?

Martinez could have appealed his suspension by proving 鈥渉e bears no significant fault or negligence for the presence of the performance-enhancing substance,鈥� according to the . But he has already said he takes 鈥渇ull responsibility for my actions and accepted my suspension.鈥�

Martinez will be eligible to return in the final week of the Blue Jays鈥� regular season. If 色色啦 makes the post-season 鈥� a questionable outcome at this point, as the team languishes on a long losing streak and sits far back of a wild-card berth 鈥� Martinez will be ineligible to play.