The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Jenrry Mejia reinstated after being banned for life in 2016
Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia has been reinstated and will be eligible to resume all baseball activities beginning with 2019 spring training, Major League Baseball announced Friday afternoon.
Mejia was banished from baseball for life in February 2016 after a third positive test for a banned substance. Mejia was suspended for 80 games on April 11, 2015, after a positive test for stanozolol, a drug popular among bodybuilders, and admitted then that he took a banned substance. In July 2015, he was suspended for 162 games for using stanozolol as well as boldenone, an anabolic androgenic steroid developed for veterinary use and most commonly used to treat horses.
“I’ve had a long, difficult time away from the game to contemplate the mistakes I’ve made both with regard to my positive drug tests and also the false allegations I made about Major League Baseball’s investigation into my testing history,” Mejia said in a statement released through the players’ association. “Baseball is my profession, my passion and my life, and for those mistakes I am truly sorry.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement that under the collectively bargained Joint Drug Program, Mejia had the right to apply for discretionary reinstatement after serving a minimum of two years.
“Upon receiving Mr.
Mejia’s application for reinstatement last year, I invited him to New York to meet with me,” Manfred said. “During our meeting, Mr. Mejia expressed regret for poor choices he made in the past and assured me that, if reinstated, he would adhere to the terms of the Program going forward.
“In light of Mr. Mejia’s contrition, his commitment to comply with the Program in the future, and the fact that he will have already spent almost four consecutive years suspended without pay, I have decided to grant Mr. Mejia a final chance to resume his professional career.”
According to MLB, Mejia is allowed to resume nonpublic workouts at the Mets’ facilities following this month’s All-Star break and will then be eligible for a rehabilitation assignment with a Mets affiliate in mid-August. If Mejia “complies with certain conditions” established by the MLB and agreed to by Mejia and the players’ association, he will be reinstated and eligible to resume his career.
“Jenrry Mejia has abided by the terms set forth by Commissioner Manfred and we appreciate his regret and renewed commitment to comply moving forward,” the Mets said in a statement. “We will evaluate his progress on the field and assess the situation and our options in the coming months.”