Kernels pitcher Gallant suspended for amphetamines

CEDAR RAPIDS - Relief pitcher Dallas Gallant, who ended the season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, has been suspended for 50 games for use of an amphetamine, Major League Baseball announced over the weekend.

Gallant's suspension will begin in the 2014 season. He will be allowed to participate in spring training and extended spring training.

"He made a mistake, and now he's going to have to pay for it," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "It's too bad. I hate to see that happen. This will be a setback for him. He just made a bad decision."

A right-hander, Gallant was 1-0 with a save and 5.51 earned run average in 14 games this season for the Kernels. He joined the club in late July from Rookie-level Elizabethton.

Gallant, 24, has been beleaguered with injuries in his professional career, including Tommy John surgery.

"He's got good stuff and a nice arm," Ryan said. "Sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way."