Dodgers News: Manfred “Unsure” When Puig Investigation Might Wrap Up
Last November, star outfielder Yasiel Puig was involved in a nightclub altercation in Miami with his sister and a bouncer. The injuries, a swollen hand and bruises, were not the only byproduct of that incident.
Major League Baseball put in place a domestic violence policy last August that states players do not need to be found guilty of criminal charges in order to be reprimanded by the league. The league can, and in a lot of instances would, sentence players to punishment via suspension.
In the case of Yasiel Puig, there’s no new word on when the investigation that MLB is conducting will actually be over. And, according to commissioner Rob Manfred, that is something that everyone just has to wait on.
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The following excerpt comes from Bill Plunkett’s article on the OC Register:
“I would love to have these resolved before we begin play again,” Manfred told AP on Thursday. “The one thing I’ve learned about these cases is timing is not mine, right? You have to really rely on the criminal process playing out in order to put yourself in a position that you’re comfortable to actually know what the facts are.”
With no timetable on the conclusion of the investigation, it basically means that everyone’s hands are tied. That includes the commissioner and Puig himself.
As stated, being found guilty on a criminal level isn’t required in order to be suspended by MLB. So, essentially, based on the wording in the new domestic violence policy – “just cause” – the commissioner can still levy Puig a suspension no matter the result of the investigation.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yasiel Puig await word on the matter, all anyone else can do is the same.
Puig is one of a trio of players who will see the new policy enacted, the other two being shortstop Jose Reyes and closer Aroldis Chapman.
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