Reds legend Pete Rose removed from MLB’s ineligible list

Cincinnati Reds legend and Major League Baseball’s all-time hit leader Pete Rose has been removed from baseball’s ineligible list.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred posthumously removed Rose from the permanent ineligible list on Tuesday.

Manfred ruled that the league’s punishment of banned players must end after the player’s death. Rose died last September at the age of 83.

Rose was banned from Major League Baseball over gambling allegations in 1989. He applied for reinstatement numerous times over the years before his death last September.

As recently as 2015, Manfred denied his application into the Baseball Hall of Fame. With the ban in place, Rose was not able to be inducted alongside other greats of the game.

A member of Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine, Rose is the all-time MLB leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and singles (3,215).

Noted for his all-around ability and enthusiasm, he was referred to as Charlie Hustle — taking home three World Series titles, one MVP award, two Gold Gloves and a Rookie of the Year award (1963), among dozens of other accolades.

The news comes just one day before the Reds are set to honor Rose Wednesday night during their game against the Chicago White Sox.

Rose was one of 16 players removed from MLB’s ineligible list. The list also included Shoeless Joe Jackson and members of the 1919 White Sox team accused of throwing games to benefit gamblers.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame released a statement after the ruling, saying it will review the candidacy of the people who were removed from the ineligible list.

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball’s permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration. Major League Baseball’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered. The Historical Overview Committee will develop the ballot of eight names for the Classic Baseball Era Committee – which evaluates candidates who made their greatest impact on the game prior to 1980 – to vote on when it meets next in December 2027,” Hall of Fame chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement

On Tuesday, Reds owner Bob Castellini released a statement that said “On behalf of the Reds and our generations of loyal fans, we are thankful for the decision of Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball regarding the removal of Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list.”

Castellini said Rose is one of the best players in the league’s history and the Reds will continue to celebrate his legacy.

“We are especially happy for the Rose family to receive this news and what this decision could mean for them and all of Pete’s fans.”