Former New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler has been placed on MLB’s Ineligible List for injured list violations in the 2022 and ’23 seasons.
Eppler’s suspension was announced by Commissioner Rob Manfred and reported by the Post’s Joel Sherman.
MLB began investigating the Mets back in October following an anonymous tip. In a nutshell, the Mets are accused of abusing use of the “phantom injured list” to avoid losing certain players. Say, someone who’s out of minor league options but isn’t getting regular playing time…at least until the next injury.
Eppler certainly didn’t do himself any favors early in MLB’s work either. The investigation began, and then he resigned. New team president David Stearns has yet to name a successor.
Cue what’s basically a one-year suspension. Billy Eppler broke the rules and, worse yet, left a paper trail. It doesn’t matter how many other teams use the phantom IL and that this has probably been common practice for decades. It only takes one to get caught.
“I cooperated fully and transparently with MLB’s investigation, and I accept their decision,” Eppler said.
In the meantime, the Mets can move on from this and prepare for the start of spring training next week.