Rockies Might Keep Jose Reyes Out of Spring Training

The Rockies face some uncertainty entering Spring Training, and in one instance, it’s not from team activity. The Rockies and penciled starter Jose Reyes are still waiting for a decision from commissioner Rob Manfred on Reyes’ legal issues. Reyes beat his wife back in late October in a Hawaii hotel and is going through the legal process with his initial trial scheduled on Apr. 4, Opening Day.

Major League Baseball and the MLBPA agreed on a domestic violence discipline policy this past summer, essentially giving full discretion of punishments to the commissioner with no maximum or minimum on punishments. Every decision is allowed to be appealed and, undoubtedly, will be. Commissioner Manfred currently has three major MLB players involved in domestic violence investigations; Reyes, Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who was involved in a dispute with an ex-girlfriend in October, and Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, who shoved his sister in a Miami club on November.

Manfred knows he needs to get this right – the NFL learned the hard way – but if he waits any longer, the public might start to rumble. In the meantime, teams have to decide what to do with their respective players while they wait for a decision from above. The Rockies, reportedly via CBSSports’ Jon Heyman, are considering holding Reyes out of Spring Training.

Keeping Reyes out until a suspension is the right thing to do, especially considering his ongoing trial. There’s absolutely no reason to bring that kind of publicity around a clubhouse, especially during a moment as big as this. This decision by Manfred will set the punishment precedent for all domestic cases to follow; for better or for worse, how Manfred handles this will be the baseline under the current CBA agreement for all cases like this. The Rockies are smart to keep Reyes away from the team and allow the situation to run its course outside the clubhouse.

Next: Turning Back the Clock: Neifi Perez

We all love sweet nostalgia, which is why I am periodically going to turn back the clock to remember a forgotten Rockie.  I’m busting out my old baseball card collection and picking out some of my old friends from different eras of Rockies baseball history. This week, my focus is on one of my childhood favorites, Neifi Perez.