back in ball

A 50-game drug suspension in his rearview mirror, Picaynue native and onetime big leaguer Rhyne Hughes is playing again in the Baltimore Orioles’ system. He is batting .344 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in eight games at Double-A Bowie. The former Pearl River Community College star, an eighth-round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2004, was slapped with the suspension by MLB last September after what was reported as a positive test for a banned amphetamine. Hughes had a cup of coffee in the majors with the Orioles in 2010, batting .213 in 14 games. He spent all of 2011 at Triple-A Norfolk, and his career minor league numbers are good: .271, 92 homers. It’ll be interesting to see if the lefty-hitting first baseman can overcome his setback and work his way back to the big leagues.