Authorities in Maui, Hawaii, will drop domestic abuse charges against Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes ahead of a trial that was scheduled to begin April 4.
Per Jennifer Sinco Kelleher of the Associated Press, Maui deputy prosecuting attorney Kerry Glen decided to drop the case against Reyes due to a lack of cooperation from Reyes’ wife.
Reyes was arrested and charged with allegedly assaulting his wife on October 31, per Chelsea Davis of Hawaii News Now.
According to Davis’ report, the alleged altercation took place around 2:30 p.m. while Reyes and his wife, Katherine, were staying at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Reyes’ wife told police he “grabbed her off the bed and shoved her” and also reportedly told police he “grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.”
The Rockies, who acquired Reyes from Toronto last July, issued a statement regarding the allegations against the 32-year-old:
While awaiting a final outcome to Reyes’ domestic violence case, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced in February the four-time All-Star had been placed on paid leave, via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding:
Upon resolution of Reyes’ criminal proceedings and the completion of the Commissioner’s Office’s investigation into the incident, Commissioner Manfred will make a decision whether to impose discipline on Reyes. The Commissioner’s Office will have no further comment on this matter until a final disposition is announced.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Reyes will remain on administrative leave until the investigation is complete.
Even though the case against Reyes was dropped, he could still face a suspension from MLB. The league’s domestic violence policy, established last August, gives Manfred the authority to determine a punishment following an investigation by the commissioner’s office.
New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman became the first player punished under the new policy after details emerged in December of an incident with his girlfriend in October. Chapman received a 30-game suspension to start the season even though prosecutors decided not to pursue a case against him due to conflicting accounts and lack of evidence, per MLB.com’s Paul Hagen and Bryan Hoch.
Reyes has not played a spring training game with the Rockies while on paid leave, so even if he avoids a suspension, he likely wouldn’t be ready to take the field when they open the season on April 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com