Jenrry Mejia’s lifetime ban is over.
The New York Mets reliever was banned from Major League Baseball permanently in 2016 after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs for the third time. He also tested positive in April and July of 2015 for Stanozolol and Boldenone, respectively.
MLB announced Friday afternoon that commissioner Rob Manfred lifted the ban under the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Mejia won’t be eligible to pitch with the Mets, who still own his rights, until next season, but he will be able to partake in rehab assignments and can work out at New York’s facilities.
In a statement released by Manfred, the commissioner said Mejia’s “regret” for the choices he made helped lead to the ban getting lifted.
“Upon receiving Mr. Mejia’s application for reinstatement last year, I invited him to New York to meet with me. 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,” he said, via MLB.com “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.”
The Mets signed the 28-year-old to a one-year deal back in January in a formality under MLB’s Basic Agreement, which could lead one to believe New York anticipated Mejia getting reinstated.
After the announcement, the Mets released their own statement, saying they appreciate his regret.
Since the team offered Mejia a contract during a year he couldn’t even play, it’s likely the Mets will welcome him back next season as long as he can prove he still can bring some of his old stuff to the mound.
