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.

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 attended a Dec. 17 meeting with Rose’s daughter, Fawn, Manfred and MLB executive Pat Courtney in the commissioner’s office. The petition was filed Jan. 8.

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.

NEW GIG FOR EPPLER

Former Angels and New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler has joined the Milwaukee Brewers as a special adviser for scouting and baseball operations.

Eppler was suspended last year after an MLB investigation concluded he directed Mets staff to fabricate injuries to create open roster spots, but that punishment expired after the 2024 World Series.

He had resigned as the Mets’ general manager in October 2023 amid that investigation, three days after owner Steve Cohen hired David Stearns as president of baseball operations. Stearns held the president of baseball operations title with the Brewers before stepping down at the end of the 2022 season.

Eppler joined the Mets in November 2021 after working as the Angels’ general manager from 2015-20. The Mets went 101-61 and earned an NL wild-card playoff berth in 2022, but slumped to 75-87 the following year despite having a $355 million payroll at the start of that season.

Eppler also has worked in scouting and player development with the Colorado Rockies and as the New York Yankees’ director of professional scouting and assistant general manager.

He now joins a Brewers organization that’s chasing a third consecutive National League Central title. Matt Arnold, selected as MLB’s executive of the year last season, has been the Brewers’ president of baseball operations since October 2022.

LEMAHIEU HURTS CALF

Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu injured his left calf in his spring training debut.

Serving as designated hitter, LeMahieu was injured Saturday on his second at-bat in New York’s 9-3 win over the Houston Astros.

“That’s not ideal, just with all that he’s had to deal with,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “We’ll see what we have there, and we’ll see how significant it is. These soft tissue things have popped up on him, so it’s at least a little concerning.”

It’s the latest in a string of injuries for the 36-year-old LeMahieu, who ended last season on the injured list with a right hip injury after missing the opening months of the season after fracturing his right foot on a foul ball in spring training.

Those injuries limited him to just 67 games last season where he hit a career-worst .204 with just two home runs and 26 RBIs.

LeMahieu, a two-time batting champion who has two years remaining on a six-year, $90 million contract he signed in 2021, was the frontrunner to be New York’s everyday third baseman. If this injury keeps him out for an extended time, the Yankees will need Oswaldo Cabrera or Oswald Peraza to step up to fill the position.

MEADOWS’ ARM AILING

Detroit center fielder Parker Meadows is out indefinitely with a nerve issue in his throwing arm.

Manager A.J. Hinch said that there is no timetable for his return from the issue in his upper right arm. The Tigers haven’t yet ruled him out for Opening Day but for now he can’t do any baseball activities.

“My understanding is that we’re in a wait-and-see (situation),” Hinch told reporters. “We’ve got to get that nerve firing again for him to resume baseball activities. Could be short. Could linger a little bit. No one has a firm timetable on when that can be.”

Meadows was injured in Detroit’s spring training opener on February 22 on a throw from center field. It took some time to pinpoint what the problem was before the Tigers announced that he’d be out indefinitely.

The 25-year-old hit .244 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs in 82 games last season. He played well in the postseason, batting .269 with a hit in each of the team’s seven playoff games.