MIAMI _ Suspended Mets closer Jeurys Familia may initially pitch before the ninth inning upon being reinstated to the roster to help him ease back into work, according to Mets manager Terry Collins. Familia is eligible to return Thursday against Philadelphia.
"(We've) talked about the possibility of giving him an outing or two not pitching in the ninth inning," Collins said. "Just letting him get back out there and getting a feel for it."
Familia is currently serving a 15-game suspension for violating the league's domestic violence policy, and threw a perfect inning Saturday for Class A St. Lucie in his first minors game. He's scheduled to pitch Monday with Class AA Binghamton, and general manager Sandy Alderson said a plan has not been finalized beyond that outing.
Collins said Familia's fastball sat at 96-97 mph Saturday in his eight-pitch outing, and the Mets would continue to use Addison Reed as the closer if Familia is used in non-save situations to start.
"He's a huge piece of our team," Collins said of Familia. "This guy was arguably one of the best closers in baseball last year. To know he's a few days from returning is something nice to look forward to. We still have four more games to get through before he gets here."
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