Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes was set to stand trial on April 4 after being charged with domestic abuse following an October incident with his wife in Hawaii. However, his wife is no longer cooperating with the prosecution and the MLB veteran will have the existing criminal charges dropped.
This likely doesn't change Reyes' standing with Major League Baseball as Commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to discipline the 32-year-old under the league's new domestic violence policy.
Jennifer Since Kelleher of The Associated Press reported earlier today that Reyes' domestic abuse case will be dropped, which came as a surprise considering he was just a few days away from the trial after pleading not guilty to the charges earlier in the offseason. He was placed on paid leave by Manfred as the league didn't feel it was appropriate to have him participating in spring training.
"The complaining witness, Mr. Reyes' wife, is what we call an uncooperative witness," Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kerry Glen said. "At this point, I have no other avenue for prosecution."
Glen said Reyes' wife rejected cooperation requests through the Maui attorney she hired back when the alleged incident occurred. Glen plans to ask for the cased "to be dropped without prejudice," which means the prosecution will be granted two years from the date of the incident to refile charges if Reyes' wife opts to cooperate over that span.
As for Reyes, a source told ESPN's Pedro Gomez that the Rockies shortstop will "likely be suspended" and that any discipline may not be handed down until the regular season starts on Monday.
MLB said Reyes will remain on administrative leave until its investigation is complete.
It's unknown what discipline he's facing, but it's important to keep in mind that New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman received a 30-game ban for his involvement in a domestic abuse incident earlier this offseason in which he was not arrested and did not face any criminal charges. That could be an indication that Reyes is facing a lengthy suspension.
The good news for the Rockies is that shortstop prospect Trevor Story has been excelling in spring training. He's batting .354/.426/.854 with 17 runs scored, six home runs and 13 RBI in 48 at-bats. He'll be the Opening Day shortstop for Colorado.
