Robinson Cano releases statement on 80-game PED suspension: 'I wish that I had been more careful'

The Mariners' star second baseman speaks out on his ban, says he accepts punishment from MLB

Robinson Cano will not fight the 80-game suspension he received from MLB on Tuesday after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

That's according to the Seattle Mariners second baseman himself.

In an apologetic statement on his near-half-season ban, the star 35-year-old admitted that he used Furosemide, a drug that's used to treat high blood pressure or aid "fluid retention," said he wished "that I had been more careful" and apologized to his "family, friends, fans, teammates and the Mariners organization."

Cano, who had yet to miss a Mariners game this season after his 23-home run campaign in 2017, said in his statement that he does not consider Furosemide a "performance-enhancing drug" and that he received it from a "licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic to treat a medical ailment." But the same drug was targeted by MLB in suspensions of several minor-league players in recent years, and Cano still acknowledged that he should have avoided it.

Here is the complete statement from Cano, whose time on the disabled list with a recently fractured hand will count toward his suspension:

Recently I learned that I tested positive for a substance called Furosemide, which is not a performance-enhancing substance. Furosemide is used to treat various medical conditions in the United States and Dominican Republic. This substance was given to me by a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic to treat a medical ailment. While I did not realize at the time that I was given a medication that was banned, I obviously now wish that I had been more careful.

For more than 15 years, playing professional baseball has been the greatest honor of my life. I would never do anything to cheat the rules of the game that I love, and after undergoing dozens of drug tests over more than a decade, I have never tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance for the simple reason that I have never taken one.

Today I decided to accept MLB's suspension. This was the most difficult decision I have ever made in my life, but ultimately the right decision given that I do not dispute that I was given this substance. I apologize to my family, friends, fans, teammates and the Mariners organization. I am extremely grateful for the support I have received during this process, and I look forward to rejoining my teammates later this season.