Phillies' minor league pitcher Solano suspended for 50 games

Phillies minor league pitcher San Lazaro Solano has been suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Solano, 20, a member of the Phillies' Dominican Summer League team, tested positive for Boldenone. His suspension will begin at the start of the season.

He was 4-3 with a 2.57 earned run average in 12 games, including eight starts.

Also suspended for 50 games: Oakland minor league pitcher Joselito Adames, who is currently on the Athletics' Arizona League (Rookie) team. He tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.

Cody Ransom, who helped fill the void when Placido Polanco and Chase Utley were sidelined with injuries in 2010, has signed a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. This is presumably a minor league deal.

Ransom appeared in 22 games for the Phillies last season and went 8-for-42 with two home runs, five RBI, 11 strikeouts and three walks.

His most memorable contribution came on July 9 against the Reds at Citizens Bank Park, when he hit a two-run homer off Francisco Cordero with two out in the ninth inning to tie the game. The blast capped off a six-run, ninth-inning rally by the Phils, who trailed 7-1 at the beginning of the frame. They won the game in the 10th as Raul Ibanez doubled and Ryan Howard drilled a 2-1 pitch by Arthur Rhodes to leftfield for a walkoff home run.

Ransom, 35, has played for four teams in eight major league seasons, hitting .227 with nine home runs and 39 RBI in 346 plate appearances. He performed well at Triple A Lehigh Valley in 2010, hitting .261 with 18 home runs and 63 RBI.

Two Phillies spring-training games will be on ESPN - March 21 against Boston and March 25 against Atlanta, the network announced. Both are at 1 p.m. Ten other games will be televised locally on either Comcast SportsNet, the Comcast Network or myPHL17.

David Murphy contributed to this report.