Jenrry Mejia will get another opportunity to pitch in the major leagues.

Nearly 2 years after becoming the first player to receive a lifetime suspension under Major League Baseball’s drug program Youth Tre'Quan Smith Jersey , the New York Mets reliever was given conditional reinstatement Friday and could return to the big leagues in 2019.

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Mejia will be able to participate in non-public workouts in the team’s facilities after the All-Star break and will be eligible for a minor league rehabilitation assignment in mid-August. If Mejia meets specified conditions, such as not testing positive again for a banned substance, he would be eligible to resume all baseball activities when spring training starts in February.

Mejia was suspended for life on Feb. 12, 2016, after his third positive test for a banned steroid. The drug agreement allowed him to apply a year later for reinstatement that would be effective a minimum two years after the ban started, with the decision at the commissioner’s discretion.

Manfred had a meeting with Mejia in 2017, after the application to return to baseball was submitted.

”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 (drug) program going forward,” Manfred said in a statement. ”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.”

A right-hander who turns 29 in October, Mejia was the Mets’ closer in 2014, then was suspended for 80 games on April 11 Dante Pettis 49ers Jersey , 2015, following a positive test for Stanozolol, a drug popular among bodybuilders. At the time, he maintained, ”I can honestly say I have no idea how a banned substance ended up in my system.”

Mejia returned July 12, appeared in seven games for New York, then was banned for 162 games on July 28 after a positive test for Stanozolol and Boldenone. The third suspension was for a positive test for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid generally used by veterinarians on horses.

”I’ve had a long, difficult time away from the game to contemplate the mistakes I’ve made both with regard to my positive drug tests and also the false allegations I made about Major League Baseball’s investigation into my testing history,” Mejia said in a statement issued through the players’ association. ”Baseball is my profession, my passion and my life, and for those mistakes I am truly sorry.”

Mejia is 9-14 with a 3.68 ERA in 18 starts and 95 relief appearances. In addition to random drug tests, he will be subject annually to six additional urine tests and three additional blood tests.

He has four years, 140 days of major league service and would be eligible for salary arbitration this winter and again after the 2019 season before becoming eligible for free agency.

Even though Mejia is not being paid, he has a contract. The Mets cut his salary the maximum allowed http://www.dolphinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mike-gesicki-jersey , 30 percent over two years, from $2.47 million in 2016 to $1,976,000 in 2017 to $1,729,000 this year. For 2019, he can be cut by 20 percent to $1,383,200, staying within the reduction limit of 30 percent over two years.

”I am aware that he can get reinstated at some point,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. ”I think right now we’re just focused on who we have here and kind of moving forward.”

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— When NFL officials visited Bears camp to show a film on rule changes aimed at player safety, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan realized he’d have to alter his style.

“Shoot,” Trevathan said. “I was on the film.”

One of last season’s most physical and controversial plays landed Trevathan a one-game suspension, and joined several other incidents of brutality in causing the NFL to curtail the use of helmets in tackling.

Trevathan’s helmet-leading hit knocked Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams out of a Sept. 28 game and resulted in a two-game suspension — later reduced to one on appeal.

Possibly more than any other Bears player, Trevathan must now keep his physical Authentic Darius Leonard Jersey , aggressive style in check.

“I’ve got to be able to move on from it and learn the new techniques,” Trevathan said. “The game is constantly changing. That’s what we get paid to do, I guess. I’ve got to take that in my play.”

Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believes it’s a matter of accepting change for all defensive players, and eventually they’ll adjust as with other rules.

“One of the most non-football rules ever put into football was the 5-yard illegal contact rule,” Fangio said. “If coaches from the 60s rose from the dead today they would want to go back in their grave with that rule.

“And we’ve adjusted.”

Bears coach Matt Nagy is seeing signs of Trevathan controlling his play.

“There’s a leadership element, which goes without saying,” Nagy said. “There’s a physicality that he brings.”

The Bears had what Nagy called their most physical practice of camp Sunday, complete with a full-contact red-zone period. And Nagy noticed Trevathan pulling back at one point when he could have easily smashed rookie wide receiver Anthony Miller.

“There was a play today where he could have knocked (Miller) into the stands and he decided not to, and that was in a live period,” Nagy said. “So to me, when you see that, I’m going to point that out to the team tonight because that wasn’t stupidity. That was a veteran being smart, not taking out one of our guys.

“He knows it’s live, he knows he doesn’t have to prove anything, so just play smart.”

Trevathan also views playing under control as a benefit to his own health. This is important because Trevathan has missed 10 games the last two seasons due to injuries Cheap Customized Detroit Lions Jerseys , and the defense suffered then without its field general.

The effect on the Bears’ defense without him is obvious.

In 2016, the Bears allowed 152 yards rushing a game without Trevathan starting seven games, and 98.4 yards in nine games when he started. Last year they allowed an average of 97.5 yards rushing in 11 games with Trevathan and 140 yards a game in five without him.

“It’s imperative that I be on that field,” Trevathan said. “I’m not going to let my team down anymore. That comes with a responsibility: just taking care of yourself.

“You know plays happen; you get injured. It’s only going to make the defense better when I’m out there because I’m going to push and I’m going to work my tail off and I’m not going to let anybody beat me.”

Like the rest of the Bears, Trevathan watched former Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame over the weekend. Trevathan gained insight from Urlacher’s speech, particularly in regards to overcoming adversity and being a good teammate.

“That’s one of the main reasons why I came here — the tradition at linebacker,” said Trevathan, who left Denver as a free agent after 2015. “It’s not an easy job, but like he (Urlacher) said, it’s like the tough stuff makes you grow.

“I’m here for a reason, and I like playing linebacker for the Chicago Bears.”

NOTES: Wide receiver Taylor Gabriel missed Sunday’s practice after suffering a foot injury in Saturday’s session. Nagy called it “day to day” and not serious.
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