Rob Manfred won’t let a possible suspension for New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia linger into the start of the regular season. Familia, who was involved with a domestic incident with his wife October, will know whether he’s going to miss games prior to opening day, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
That doesn’t really come as a surprise, but serves as a reminder that Familia is still under investigation for the incident by Major League Baseball. The 27-year-old closer was arrested in October after his wife, Bianca Rivas, called police to report the issue. Police “found probable cause to believe that domestic violence had occurred,” including a scratch on the victim’s chest and a cut on her cheek.
Those charges were dropped in December, when Rivas said she did not fear for her life during the dispute. Prosecutors met with Rivas to determine whether things were OK before agreeing to drop the charges.
Despite that, Familia is still subject to MLB’s domestic violence policy. Players do not need to be legally charged with the crime in order to be suspended by the league.
That’s precisely what happened with both New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and Mets infielder Jose Reyes. Both players had domestic violence charges dropped, but were still suspended under the next policy. Chapman received a 30-game suspension after allegedly choking his girlfriend and firing eight gun shots into their garage. Reyes was suspended for 52 games after allegedly shoving his wife into a sliding glass door.
Since Familia’s incident occurred in the offseason, there hasn’t been pressure on Manfred to reach a decision. Shortly after the news broke, Manfred said he would take his time and gather all the facts before deciding on a suspension.
With the season quickly approaching, that decision should come soon. Mets pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training Feb. 14. Manfred will likely make a ruling around that time.
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