Brendan McCurry, the minor league reliever the Astros acquired last offseason in exchange for infielder Jed Lowrie, was suspended 50 games without pay after testing positive for Methamphetamine, MLB announced on Thursday.

McCurry's suspension is effective at the start of the next Texas League season in April. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound righthander split last season between Class AA and Class AAA, recording a combined 3.29 ERA in 82 innings. He turns 25 on Jan. 7.

A 22nd-round pick of the Athletics in the 2014 draft, McCurry is not considered by Baseball America as one of the Astros' top 30 prospects. He was the Astros' lone return from the A's in their salary dump of the veteran Lowrie, who at the time of the Nov. 2015 trade was guaranteed to make $15 million over the 2016 and 2017 seasons, including the $1 million it would cost to buy out his $6 million team option for 2018.

After a June promotion McCurry finished last season in Class AAA, where he had a 3.83 ERA in 42 1/3 innings. He is not on the Astros' 40-man roster.

http://www.chron.com/sports/astros/a...y-10814200.php