Mets Morning News: MLB drops Chase Utley's suspension, MLBPA dismisses Jennry Mejia

Meet the Mets

The Mets took a 7-5 victory over the Braves, led by multi-hit efforts from Alejandro De Aza and Travis Taijeron. Left-hander Sean Gilmartin fared well in his first start of the spring, tossing three scoreless innings against the team that drafted him.

Major League Baseball has dropped Chase Utley's suspension. Utley's "rolling block" slide broke Ruben Tejada's leg in Game 2 of the NLDS and inspired a new rule forbidding runners from "kicking, shoving or throwing their bodies," onto infield defenders.

Blowback from the reversal has been swift, with Anthony McCarron of the Daily News deeming the lack of penalty "a joke." David Lennon of Newsday took a different approach, claiming the incident is old news. Ruben Tejada didn't share any thoughts on the suspension news.

Disgraced reliever Jenrry Mejia's claims of conspiracy appear to be without merit. Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB Players' Association, said Mejia's grievances were never voiced to the MLBPA.

Terry Collins discussed his strategy for David Wright and says the third baseman should play in 10-to-12 Grapefruit League games this spring.

Around the Majors

The White Sox signed Austin Jackson to a one-year, $5 million contract. Jackson posted a .267/.311/.385 slash line between the Mariners and Cubs last season.

Byung Ho Park, who defected from Korea to sign with the Twins over the offseason, slugged his first home run of the Spring.

The Nationals may be running out of patience with fringe-prospect A.J. Cole. Meanwhile, hard-throwing southpaw Felipe Rivero sees himself as a future closer.

Colorado's already-thin bullpen took a hit on Sunday, as Jairo Diaz is slated for Tommy John surgery.

Manny Banuelos and Mike Foltynewicz won't be ready to pitch until at least April 12, as the two young starters are recovering from injury. As noted by Michael Cunningham in the Journal-Constitution, the Braves are left with at least three open spots in their rotation.

Bartolo Colon was listed amongst MLB.com's best over-40 players.

This Date in Mets History

Happy 48th birthday to Jeff Kent! The slugging second baseman spent over four years in the Mets organization before going on to excel with the Giants.

Happy birthdays to Mauro Gozzo, Galen Cisco, and Ed Bouchee!