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Major League Baseball roundup

[March 30, 2017] March 29 (The Sports Xchange) - New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia has been suspended 15 games for an offseason domestic violence incident, Major League Baseball announced Wednesday.

Familia, 27, was arrested in Fort Lee, N.J., on Oct. 31 after he allegedly caused a scratch to the chest and a bruise to the right cheek of his wife, Bianca Rivas. The misdemeanor simple-assault charge was dropped against Familia in December after the prosecutor told the judge that Rivas did not wish for the case to be pursued any further.

Commissioner Rob Manfred met with Familia on Monday to discuss the incident.

Familia will not appeal the suspension and can continue participating in spring training and exhibition games prior to Mets' Opening Day game on Monday against the Atlanta Braves. He forfeits 18 days of pay, worth more than $700,000, according to reports.

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Mets left-hander Steven Matz will not be ready for the start of the regular season, manager Terry Collins confirmed.

Matz continued to experience discomfort in his pitching elbow and was sent for an MRI exam. He was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League start on Monday.

"He still feels it," Collins said. "We thought it would be important to get it looked at."

Matz, 25, underwent Tommy John surgery earlier in his career, but he was reassured by doctors earlier in the week that he has no ligament damage in the elbow.

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Boston Red Sox utility infielder Josh Rutledge will start the season on the disabled list after straining his left hamstring in a Grapefruit League game on Tuesday night.

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Red Sox manager John Farrell said that Rutledge will "require some time" off to recover and would likely open the season on the 10-day DL, according to the Providence Journal.

Rutledge, 27, emerged this spring as a candidate to play some first and third base against lefties. He hit .265 with three RBIs in 28 games for the Red Sox last season.

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Rotation questions for the Seattle Mariners could be amplified after left-hander Drew Smyly was scratched from his scheduled Friday start with an unspecified arm injury.

Smyly, one day after being named the No. 4 starter and scheduled to take the ball in the series finale of the season-opening four-game set against the Astros, is now up in the air for that game and beyond.

He spent much of the spring participating in the World Baseball Classic. (Editing by Steve Keating.)

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