Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is considering a petition to have Pete Rose posthumously removed from Major League Baseball’s ineligible list, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to the AP on Saturday night on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the conversations.

ESPN was the first to report on the reinstatement petition filed by Jeffrey Lenkov, a Southern California lawyer who represented Rose prior to his death at age 83 in September.

Lenkov told ESPN he made the move after a Dec. 17 meeting with Rose’s daughter, Fawn, Manfred and MLB executive Pat Courtney in the commissioner’s office.

A 17-time All-Star, Rose is baseball’s career leader with 4,256 hits. He also holds the major league record for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890). He was the 1973 National League MVP and played on three World Series winners.

An investigation for MLB by lawyer John M. Dowd found Rose placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 while playing for and managing the team. Rose agreed with MLB on a permanent ban in 1989.

Lenkov told ESPN he is seeking Rose’s removal from the banned list “so that we could seek induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which had long been his desire and is now being sought posthumously by his family.” He described Manfred as respectful, gracious and an active participant during their one-hour meeting in December.

Under a rule adopted by the Hall’s board of directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can’t be considered for election to the Hall.

Rose applied for reinstatement in 1997 and met with Commissioner Bud Selig in November 2002, but Selig never ruled on Rose’s request. Manfred in 2015 denied Rose’s application for reinstatement.

President Donald Trump posted on social media on Friday night that he plans to issue “a complete PARDON of Pete Rose.” Trump posted on Truth Social that Rose “shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on HIS TEAM WINNING.”

Trump did not specifically mention Rose’s tax case in which Rose pleaded guilty in 1990 to two counts of filing false tax returns and served a five-month prison sentence.

The president said he would sign a pardon for Rose “over the next few weeks.”

Stanton sidelined >> New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will begin the season on the injured list because of elbow injuries.

Stanton has received platelet-rich plasma injections in both of his elbows, according to the New York Post. The 2017 NL MVP has been away from the team while dealing with a personal matter.

The 35-year-old Stanton hit .233 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs in 114 games last season. He had seven homers and 16 RBIs in 14 postseason games and was the ALCS MVP when the Yankees eliminated the Cleveland Guardians.

YELICH MAKES LONG-AWAITED RETUrN >> Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich took a step forward Saturday in his return from back surgery by playing in a game for the first time since July.

Yelich was the designated hitter for the Brewers’ 9-4 Cactus League victory over the Texas Rangers. The 2018 NL MVP went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and an RBI.

“It was just cool to be out there, honestly, because it’s a long road from the last time I did it,” Yelich told reporters afterward. “Honestly, that was a victory in itself for me today.”

SKENES MAKES SPRING DEBUT >> Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes got a chance to showcase his expanded repertoire to opposing hitters Saturday while pitching in a Grapefruit League game for the first time this year.

Skenes has been working on adding a cutter and a running two-seam fastball to complement his electrifying four-seam fastball. The 22-year-old struck out four and allowed four hits, one walk and one run in three innings Saturday in the Pirates’ 5-2 victor over the Baltimore Orioles.

“You’ve just got to mix it in,” Skenes said. “I learned some stuff about it. It’s going to be good, I think.”