Jonathan Papelbon said he and many of his former Boston Red Sox teammates were regularly injected with a legal painkiller called Toradol, according to an ESPNBoston.com report. The drug is not banned by MLB.
Phillies team doctors told Papelbon to stop using Toradol upon joining the team before the 2012 season. He estimated that the injections started in 2007.
Boston's medical staff has come under scrutiny amid accusations by Curt Schilling that he was advised to use performance-enhancing drugs.
Toradol is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; basically, a more potent Advil. Its usage in baseball is widespread.
"My understanding is that it's something that's pretty prevalent around the league, something we do not recommend," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "Short-term, long-term effects, we just don't feel it's a viable rehab choice for our players. We've stayed away from it. [Papelbon] was fine last year and very effective, so that's a good thing."
