The rehabilitation, personally and publicly, of Mets reliever Francisco Rodriguez begins with the news that he will enter an anger management treatment program before returning to the Mets this Saturday.
The Mets placed Rodriguez on the restricted list for two days without pay, a suspension that was negotiated among the Mets, Major League Baseball and the players union. In addition, the Mets asked Rodriguez to be evaluated by doctors from both Major League Baseball and the union, after which a course of treatment will be determined. If Rodriguez changes his mind and rejects the treatment, he could face further discipline.
The Mets had apparently actually considered a much stiffer penalty than the two-game ban but decided to go with that after the union and MLB agreed on it.
Daian Pena, Rodriguez’s common-law wife and mother of his children, and her father Carlos Pena, whom Rodriguez punched, received an order of protection that forbids K-Rod from going to the house they all shared together.
Mets’ GM Omar Minaya says he has been in contact with Rodriguez, that he feels bad about the situation, though he did not officially apologize. Expect to hear that on Saturday.