Colorado Rockies: Jose Reyes’ Domestic Abuse Charges Officially Dropped
Jose Reyes’ domestic abuse charges were officially dropped, but does he have a future with the Colorado Rockies?
While the Colorado Rockies seem to have their shortstop of the future in the powerful Trevor Story, the team will need to make a decision regarding the future of veteran Jose Reyes very soon. After his charges were dropped by Maui prosecutors, a Hawaii judge approved the dismissing of the domestic abuse charge against the 32-year-old on Monday, as reported by AP via ESPN.
Reyes was acquired by the team in the Troy Tulowitzki trade and was expected to bridge the gap to last year’s top pick Brendan Rodgers for at least two to three seasons before the youngster is ready to make his major league debut.
Instead, Reyes struggled during his 47-game stint with Colorado, as he posted a .259/.291/.368 slash line while openly expressing his disinterest with the franchise.
On Halloween night last year, Reyes was arrested on domestic abuse charges against his wife at the Wailea Four Seasons Resort. While the judge signed off on the dismissal of charges, he will give prosecutors around two years to refile charges. Reyes’ wife has been unwilling to cooperate with the investigation, which was one of the main reasons the charges were initially dropped.
Deputy Maui Prosecuting Attorney Kerry Glen said it will be impossible to move forward with prosecution without cooperation from Reyes’ wife.
It’s still unknown whether MLB will punish Reyes in any form, and after Aroldis Chapman became the first player to receive a 30-game suspension under the league’s new rules, it’s possible Reyes could see some penalty from the league.
In the meantime, the Rockies will need to make a decision regarding Reyes’ status with the team. His contract runs through 2017 with a player option for 2018, so an outright release would cost the team some money – and they may want to see what value he has left as a player in the hitter-friendly Coors Field.
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With Story’s historic start to the season and DJ Lamahieu playing well at second base, Reyes’ role with the team will likely be as a utility man.