Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association are expected to have discussions on expanding the league’s drug testing program to include testing for opioids.

The news comes just a week after the autopsy report of former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died suddenly in early July, revealed that he had the opioids fentanyl and oxycodone in his system when he passed away.

"For several reasons, including the tragic loss of a member of our fraternity and other developments happening in the country as a whole, it is appropriate and important to re-examine all of our drug protocols relating to education, treatment, and prevention," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement.

Talks are currently in the early stages, however both MLB and the union are expected to continue the discussions over the coming weeks and intensify during the offseason.

Each side has reportedly exchanged multiple proposals with regard to drug testing, including potentially eliminating all tests for marijuana.  Currently, MLB classifies marijuana as a “drug of abuse” alongside the likes of opioids and cocaine.

While opioids, like fentanyl and oxycodone, are treated as “drugs of abuse” by the league, they do not test the players for them on a regular basis unless it is required as part of a drug treatment program.

However, players that are in the affiliated minor leagues that are not on 40-man rosters are subject to random opioid testing.  Minor league players who test positive for opioids, or any other drug of abuse, are referred to a treatment program with a second positive test resulting in a suspension.

According to MLB deputy commissioner Dan Halem, there has only been 10 positive opioid tests in the minors out of approximately 75,000 tests conducted over the last five seasons.

"None of our doctors prescribe opioids, other than for short-term use in connection with surgery," Halem said.

"We have not received from our medical community any information that would lead us to believe opioids are a widespread issue in baseball."

Skaggs was found in his Texas hotel room hours prior to an Angels game against the Rangers on July 1.  The Tarrant County medical examiner revealed that he found 3.8 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl in Skaggs’ system and a blood-alcohol level of 0.122%.

In a statement after the toxicology report was released, Skaggs' family alluded to an unnamed Angels employee possibly playing a role in his death.  The family has hired an attorney to investigate and MLB announced that its own investigative unit is looking into the matter.

Over the past year, there have been over 31,000 deaths from fentanyl and its opioid relatives, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.