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Shortstop Jose Reyes of the Colorado Rockies has been placed on a paid leave while being investigated on alleged domestic violence charges. The 32-year-old is the first player to be put on leave under Major League Baseball’s new policy and he isn’t allowed to take part in spring training. The four-time all-star was charged after being arrested in Hawaii last October 31st. Reyes was taken into custody at a resort in Maui after getting into a squabble with his wife.

He was charged with abuse of a household or family member and pleaded not guilty. Reyes posted $1,000 bail after the incident and is due to appear in court on April 4th for his trial. Ironically, that’s the same day his Rockies’ teammates will be taking to the ball diamond in Arizona to begin the 2016 MLB season. MLB and its players’ association agreed to a new domestic-violence policy last August after several NFL players were involved in cases.

Along with Reyes, closing pitcher Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees and outfielder Yasiel Puig are also being investigated by MLB for domestic violence situations. Rob Manfred, the Commissioner of MLB, said Reyes won’t receive any disciplinary punishment from the league until his court case has been completed and MLB has also finished its investigation. However, he stressed that Reyes doesn’t need to receive a criminal conviction to be punished by the league.

According to the new policy, the commissioner can place a player on paid leave if he feels it would do irreparable and substantial damage to MLB or the player’s club if he is allowed to play. Basically, a paid leave is a paid suspension, but players aren’t paid during spring training. Reyes is scheduled to receive his first paycheque of the year when the season opens on April 3rd and his contract will pay him $22 million this season. If Manfred decides to suspend him, Reyes will then be unpaid and the players’ association will have the option of appealing any ban to an arbitrator.

The players’ union recently released a statement regarding Reyes’ situation which said, “We are closely monitoring the proceedings in Hawaii, as well as the commissioner’s actions. If further discipline is issued or if Mr. Reyes’ paid suspension is not resolved in a timely fashion, the players’ association will work with Mr. Reyes to ensure that all of his rights under the policy are protected.”

Reyes began his MLB career with the New York Mets back in 1999 and played in six All-Star games while representing the team. He signed with the Miami Marlins after the 2011 campaign and was given a six-year deal worth $106 million. However, the Marlins traded Reyes to the Toronto Blue Jays after just one season. The Blue Jays then traded the former NL batting champion to the Colorado Rockies last July for fellow shortstop Troy Tulowitzki along with relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. With Reyes out of action for now, the Rockies will likely use 24-year-old Cristhian Adames and 29-year-old Daniel Descalso to replace him.