Dodgers' Julio Urías put on MLB administrative leave after domestic violence arrest
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Julio Urias was placed on administrative leave Wednesday by Major League Baseball while it investigates his arrest on felony domestic violence charges on Sunday night, likely ending his regular season.
Urias, who did not accompany the Dodgers on their road trip, could be on MLB’s administrative leave for two weeks before the players association grants approval for an extension. The restricted list is originally for seven days, and MLB can ask the union for an additional seven days which “consent shall not be unreasonably withheld." If MLB’s investigation is not completed, he could be placed on the restricted list, subject to the union’s approval.
“I was shocked, everyone was,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. “It is just an extremely unfortunate circumstance for everyone. Right now, it’s essentially in the authorities’ and Major League Baseball’s court, to do their due diligence. Obviously Julio is not here with us, and for us, we’re just sitting and waiting as the process continues until we know more.”
Urias, 27, who was expected to be among the most sought-after free agents in baseball this winter, perhaps commanding close to $200 million, has a court date of Sept. 27.
He was arrested by Exposition Park officers after a LAFC and Inter Miami soccer game Sunday night at BMO Stadium when at least one witness alerted police of a potential domestic battery involving his wife. He was arrested on a charge of “corporal injury on a spouse.” He was released from the LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center on $50,000 bail.
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If convicted, he can be punished with imprisonment in the state prison for up to four years, according to Penal Code 273.5 or in a county jail for no more than a year, or fined up to $6,000.
The Department of Public Safety, the arresting agency, has yet to provide details of the arrest.
Urias, who has pitched eight years for the Dodgers, has been one of the team’s most popular players. He was the heir to Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born star.
“Extremely disappointing development,” Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, told reporters. “For us right now, it’s having him and his representatives resolve this while we’re focused on both the near and long term."
The Dodgers announced Wednesday that they would be replacing Urías' bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium, which had been scheduled for Sept. 21.
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Urias also was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery in 2019 when witnesses saw him push a woman in a parking lot, but was not charged. He received a 20-game suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy, saying, “I accept full responsibility for what I believe was my inappropriate conduct during the incident.
Suspensions under MLB’s policy have ranged from 15 to 194 games. No MLB player has been suspended twice for violating the policy since it was implemented in 2015.
Urias, 27, had been one of the best starters in baseball over the past three years. He went 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA during the 2020 postseason, throwing the final pitch that secured the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series championship. He went 20-3 in 2021 and finished third in the NL Cy Young voting last season with a 17-7 record and league-low 2.16 ERA. He has struggled this season, going 11-8 with a career-high 4.60 ERA, yielding a career-high 24 home runs in just 117⅓ innings.
