Ronny Paulino finally expected to arrive at Mets’ camp Saturday

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Ronny Paulino finally made it to the United States today after an extended delay due to visa issues in his native Dominican Republic.

Paulino, who signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Mets over the winter, is expected to report to camp tomorrow.

The 29-year-old backstop encountered difficulties obtaining his work visa as a result of his 50-game suspension for PEDs last August. He’ll have to serve the remaining eight games on the suspension once the regular season begins, but Mets manager Terry Collins plans to keep him busy until then.

“We’re going to push the envelope a little bit here in the next couple of weeks to try to do as much as we can to get him as ready as possible, and then use that extra week to get him playing time,” Collins said. “The hardest part is the minor-league season doesn’t start until the [April] 7. He can still go get a couple of games in before he does report [to the majors]. We’ll make use of the minor league side as best we can.”

Paulino batted .259/.311/.354 with four homers and 37 RBI over 344 plate appearances before his suspension last season. He is expected to serve as the backup catcher to Josh Thole this season.