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Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia, who was originally handed a lifetime ban in 2016 after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs for the third time, has been conditionally reinstated to baseball. In an announcement Friday, MLB announced that Rob Manfred ruled Mejia should be able to resume his career one more time.
Here's MLB's release on the conditional reinstatement of Mets RHP Jenrry Mejia, who had been banned for life for three positive PED tests: pic.twitter.com/r4HZGMNsfh
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 6, 2018
His reinstatement requires that he “complies with certain conditions established by the Office of the Commissioner,” which aren’t detailed in the announcement but probably involve something along the lines of “we are going to test you for PEDs so much and if you even say the words PEDs we’ll be asking questions.”
Manfred cited Mejia’s “contrition,” “regret,” and “commitment to comply” with the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The MLBPA also released a statement on Mejia’s behalf where he said he is committed to re-earning the trust of fans and his team.
MLB’s policy allows players who have been banned for life to apply for reinstatement one year after they are banned, and that reinstatement can’t start until at least two years after the ban. So it’s more of a lifetime ban in spirit.
It looks like the Mets anticipated this development, or at the very least the request for reinstatement if not the outcome, as they signed Mejia to a $1.7 million contract a few months ago. Mejia won’t be eligible to pitch in the majors until next year but he will be able to work out at the Mets’ facilities and participate in rehab starts before then.
In a separate statement, the Mets said they will “evaluate his progress on the field and assess the situation and our options in the coming months.”
Here's the Mets' statement on Mejia: pic.twitter.com/lxZBeyx1Bp
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 6, 2018
Since they already gave him a contract for a year where he wouldn’t play in the majors, all signs point to the Mets welcoming him back as long as he proves he has some of his old stuff still in the arsenal. Who are the Mets kidding? Mejia could probably slot into their rotation without any workouts and do better than the person he replaced.