Along with a new uniform, Jose Reyes has a new, close-cropped look.
The former Mets shortstop had his dreadlocks trimmed during a nationally televised haircut Friday on the MLB Network.
“A little bit lighter. It’s going to take me a couple of days to get used to it,” Reyes said.
He left the ets in December for a $106 million, six-year contract with the Miami Marlins. Reyes’ new team has a rule prohibiting hair below the helmet line.
“It’s going to be a little bit emotional because I spent three years with this hair. But at the same time, I understand this rule of my new team,” Reyes said before the snipping started. “I’m a team player, so I have to cut it off.”
A man who would identify himself only as Jordan from Jordan’s Barber Shop in the Bronx performed the haircut at the MLB Network studios. Network spokeswoman Lorraine Fisher said the trim will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, which planned to auction the hair on eBay.
“One thing that I do, I wash my hair once a month,” Reyes said. “Every time I went to shower, I put a plastic bag on my hair, and David Wright (is) always making fun of me because of that. I don’t get my hair wet.”
Other players who have had to cut their hair to comply with team rules include Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon when they joined the Yankees.