PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Among Mets pitchers and catchers, only Jeurys Familia was absent from Mets camp Monday, stuck home in the Dominican Republic due to a visa issue. The Mets, who administered physicals to the rest of their pitchers, hope Familia can report by Tuesday.
But the closer's longer-term future remains murky. The Mets are still unsure if Major League Baseball will suspend Familia for his Oct. 31 arrest on a domestic violence charge, despite bracing for the possibility he could miss much or all of April.
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"I think you've got to be smart enough to realize there probably is going to be some type of penalty," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "I don't know what it is. I have no idea yet. So I think you've got to go into this right now making sure that Addison Reed's ready to pitch the ninth inning starting the season. Jeurys Familia, we know he'll be back sometime. But we've got to get our bullpen in shape in case he's going to be gone for a period of time."
Reed, the Mets' setup man last season, boasts closing experience with the White Sox and D-backs from 2012-14, along with scattered opportunities since that time. One of the Mets' most valuable players at any position last season, Reed actually posted a better ERA (1.97) over 80 appearances than Familia (2.55).
Prosecutors dropped the assault charge on Familia at the request of his wife, but MLB retains the right to suspend him under its Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. The league has exercised that power on multiple occasions, last year handing Jose Reyes a 51-game suspension and Albertin Chapman a 30-game ban.