Ronny Paulino said Thursday that he will not be able to arrive to spring training until next week at the earliest due to visa problems.

Paulino has been unable to leave his native Dominican Republic because of complications involved with his 50-game suspension for PEDs. He hopes to receive a visa next week from the U.S. consulate, but isn't sure what day that will be. The Mets signed Paulino over the winter to be their backup catcher, but he still has eight games remaining on his suspension.

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Wednesday that Ronny Paulino was required to submit to another drug test on February 18th.

Paulino was handed a 50-game suspension for failing a PED test last August. It was reported that Paulino is dealing with visa issues in his native Dominican Republic, which is true, but the situation is actually much more complicated. In addition to passing the drug test, the 29-year-old backstop will have convince a panel of independent consultants that he's clean. "Right now we're waiting for the test results and the panel's report," said Alderson. The Mets hope Paulino will finally arrive in camp on Saturday.

The Mets are hopeful that Ronny Paulino will arrive to camp this weekend.

If he doesn't, Mets manager Terry Collins said it will be a "real concern." Paulino has been delayed from reporting to camp due to visa issues in his native Dominican Republic. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has said his troubles are directly tied to his current 50-game suspension for PEDs.

Ronny Paulino continues to be delayed from reporting to Mets' camp due to visa issues.

The Mets were hoping that he would arrive by Tuesday or Wednesday, but it hasn't happened yet. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson recently said that the delay is directly tied to his 50-game suspension for PEDs. The 29-year-old backstop still has eight games remaining on his suspension from MLB.

Ronny Paulino is still not at Mets camp due to a visa issue.

He was expected to show up Saturday, but it looks like that won't happen. It's unlikely that this will drag on much longer, though, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Paulino will serve the final eight games of his suspension for PEDs at the beginning of the season.

Ronny Paulino is expected to report to Mets camp after clearing up a visa issue.

The Mets inked Paulino to a $1.3 million deal back in December and he'll serve as a platoon partner with Josh Thole. The former Marlin will miss the first eight games of the season while serving the remainder of his PED suspension.

Ronny Paulino is delayed from reporting to camp due to visa issues.

Mets manager Terry Collins was confident that he should arrive in the next couple of days. Paulino was signed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract by the Mets in December, but will miss the first eight games of the regular season due to his PED suspension.

Mets signed C Ronny Paulino to a one-year, $1.3 million contract.

He has a chance to earn more with incentives. Paulino batted .259/.311/.354 with four home run and 37 RBI over 316 at-bats with the Marlins last season before he was slapped with a 50-game suspension for violating MLB's drug policy. The 29-year-old backstop has a .331 batting average and 881 OPS against left-handed pitching in his career, so he could make for a nice platoon partner with Josh Thole behind the plate.

ESPN.com is reporting that the Mets have agreed to a one-year contact with free agent catcher Ronny Paulino for about $1.3 million plus incentives.

The deal is pending a physical. Paulino was non-tendered by the Marlins last week after batting .259/.311/.354 with four home runs and 37 RBI over 316 at-bats in 2010. The 29-year-old still has a few games to serve on the 50-game PED suspension that he was slapped with in August, but will serve as Josh Thole's backup once that penalty is served.

According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, the Mets are closing in on a 1-year deal with free agent catcher Ronny Paulino for about $1.3 million.

Paulino was non-tendered by the Marlins last week after batting .259/.311/.354 with four home runs and 37 RBI over 316 at-bats in 2010. The 29-year-old still has a few games to serve on the 50-game PED suspension that he was handed in August. He will serve as Josh Thole's backup if the two sides finalize this agreement.

According to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure, the Mets are closing in on a deal with free agent catcher Ronny Paulino.

Paulino was non-tendered by the Marlins last week, who signed John Buck to a large free agent contract this fall and didn't deem Paulino worth $2 million as a backup. The 29-year-old Paulino batted .259/.311/.354 with four home runs and 37 RBI over 316 at-bats in 2010. He still has a few games to serve on the 50-game PED suspension that he was handed in August, but would serve as Josh Thole's backup if the two sides reach an agreement.

Marlins non-tendered C Ronny Paulino.

The Marlins added free agent catcher John Buck this offseason and couldn't justify paying Paulino nearly $2 million to be a backup. He should draw heavy interest from teams looking for a reliable No. 2 catcher, but keep in mind that he still has a few games left on his PED-related suspension.

Ronny Paulino is likely to be non-tendered this week.

The Marlins brought in catcher John Buck on a sizable free agent contract last month and won't want to shell out the cash it's going to take to secure a deal with Paulino via salary arbitration. He earned a $1.1 million salary in 2010 and is likely to top $2 million if tendered a contract.

Ronny Paulino could be back with the Marlins in 2011 despite recently receiving a 50-game suspension for using a banned substance.

The Marlins' current catching situation is bleak, as John Baker's status is still up in the air, as he's missed most of the season with an elbow injury. Brett Hayes and Brad Davis aren't the answers, and Kyle Skipworth is still a couple years away. Paulino, who is arbitration-eligible this winter, will be able to participate in spring training but will have to serve the final eight games of his suspension next season.

According to the New York Post, Ronny Paulino has been suspended 50 games for testing position for a performance-enhancing substance.

With John Baker out, Paulino has had to play a lot more than usual, and it may be that he turned to something extra as a result. The Marlins are finally expected to get Baker back next week, and he'll reclaim a starting job. Brett Hayes will fill in until then. The Marlins have just 42 games left, so Paulino's suspension will carry into the second week of next season.

Ronny Paulino singled in Emilio Bonifacio in the bottom of the ninth to give the Marlins a 3-2 win over the Rockies on Thursday.

Paulino's play had really suffered of late, as he had been hitting just .136/.156/.159 during July. Most of Paulino's production comes against lefties, so the Marlins could really use Josh Baker back. Still, indications are that Paulino will remain the regular for at least a few more weeks. He did come through today, though it was his only hit in four at-bats.

Ronny Paulino has just two hits in his last 20 at-bats.

It's tough to look too much into a small sample size, but it's certainly possible that Paulino is being overexposed as an everyday player. The 29-year-old backstop is batting .288/.331/.389 in 226 at-bats -- which is just fine -- but he has hit .355 against southpaws compared to .253 against right-handers. This split has always prevented him from being a productive everyday player and will likely continue to do so.

Ronnie Paulino was scratched from Sunday's lineup with tightness in his right quad.

The Marlins had been using a platoon with Paulino and John Baker, so it isn't a large drop-off from Paulino to his backup, but it's not an ideal situation. The Marlins have an off-day Monday and will face a right-hander on Tuesday, so Paulino will have a few days off to rest his quad.

Ronny Paulino hit a two-run homer, collecting three RBI total, in Saturday's victory over the Phillies.

The two-run shot would be all the run support Ricky Nolasco needed in the 5-1 win. Paulino is now hitting .261/.320/.478 over 26 at-bats this season.

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said that he may give Ronny Paulino some work at first base.

Gonzalez said the move would allow him to have more options late in games. Paulino, who turns 29 later this month, has never played first base in the big leagues, but did make 11 appearances there in the minors.