Topline
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias was arrested Sunday night and faces felony domestic violence charges, prompting the MLB to place the 27-year-old pitcher on administrative leave, making him the latest MLB star facing domestic violence allegations, and the second player to face allegations in under a month.
Julio Urias pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Key Facts
Urias, 27, was charged with felony domestic violence late Sunday night and was released on $50,000 bail early Monday morning, according to Los Angeles County court records, ESPN first reported.
He is due in Los Angeles municipal court on September 27.
His arrest comes less than a month after the MLB placed 22-year-old Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco on administrative leave amid an investigation in his native Dominican Republic, as well as a separate MLB investigation, into allegations he had relationships with underage girls, which Franco denied.
In June, meanwhile, an Arizona woman accused former Dodgers pitcher and Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer of sexual assault, following sexual assault allegations from three other women, prompting the MLB to put him on administrative leave in 2021 before the league suspended him for two full seasons—the Dodgers released Bauer in January, and Bauer denied the allegations.
Urias had previously been arrested in 2019 on suspicion of domestic battery, though he was not charged, and was suspended for 20 games by the MLB.
Key Background
Urias is the latest professional athlete to be charged with domestic violence, following former Houston Astros closer Roberto Osuna, who was charged with domestic assault in 2018, though those charges were later dropped and he agreed to a so-called peace bond and agreed to not contact the woman he allegedly assaulted. Former NFL players have also been charged with domestic violence, including running backs Adrian Peterson, Zac Stacy and Ray Rice, whose indictment on aggravated assault charges after he punched his then-fiancee in an elevator in 2014, led the league to revamp its policy on domestic violence. Stacy denied the claims against him, while Peterson’s wife later said he did not strike her.
Tangent
Urias, who has spent the entirety of his eight-year career in Los Angeles, is in the midst of a solid season for the Dodgers, who sit comfortably in first place in the National League West division, with less than a month left before the start of the playoffs. Urias had posted a career-best 2.16 earned run average last year with 17 wins for the Dodgers, putting him third in Cy Young award voting. He had earned 20 wins with the Dodgers in 2021, with an ERA of 2.96.
Big Number
$14.25 million. That’s how much Urias is making with the Dodgers this season, the last year on his contract before he faces free agency.
Further Reading
MLB Star Wander Franco On Leave After Social Media Posts Claim Inappropriate Relationship With Minor (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/09/06/mlb-places-dodgers-star-julio-urias-on-leave-after-domestic-violence-charge-the-latest-mlb-player-facing-allegations/