Mets’ Rodriguez faces possible assault charges
New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez remained in police custody on Thursday morning and was placed on the restricted list. Rodriguez was arrested and later charged with third-degree assault for allegedly attacking his father-in-law, shortly after Wednesday's game against the Rockies.
The Mets only confirmed that an incident had taken place, and that police officers came to take Rodriguez into custody. "I'm just kind of waiting to hear what the process is," manager Jerry Manuel said Thursday morning. "I have no clue."
Details on why Rodriguez allegedly attacked the victim are not clear and he will have to answer to the judge when a court hearing is scheduled on Thursday afternoon. "Ownership and the organization are very disappointed in Francisco's inappropriate behavior and we take this matter very seriously," Mets Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Wilpon, said in a written statement.
New York will punish Rodriguez by suspending him for two days without pay, and recalled right-handed reliever Ryota Igarashi from Triple-A to take his place in the rotation. Aside from placing him on the restricted list, the Mets have not revealed whether the team will impose further disciplinary actions against Rodriguez.
Teammates are showing their support for Rodriguez and want the issue to be resolved as quickly as possible to have him back on the roster. “He's a teammate, so we're going to support him," third baseman David Wright said. "Frankie's been a great teammate for us, and we're going to have his back.”
While Rodriguez surely appreciates this loyalty from his teammates, he must face the judicial system and possible sanctions from Major League Baseball.
“He’s part of the family here. You've got to realize that no one wants it to happen, but it happened, and now it's a matter of making it right. If there's anything that we can do in here for Frankie [Francisco], I'm sure everybody's willing to do it."
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