Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Julio Urias to be Taken Off Administrative Leave

Julio Urías is expected to be reinstated from administrative leave and added to the active roster before tomorrow’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Jorge Castillo of the LA Times.

Urías was arrested on Monday, May 13, on suspicion of domestic battery. He was released on bail the following day and then placed on 7-day administrative leave.

The last report regarding the incident came from TMZ Sports, saying “It doesn’t appear there’s criminal intent to injure her.”

Multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports … the domestic violence case against Dodgers star pitcher Julio Urías is “weak” based on the evidence.

We’re told the video of the incident does show Urías making physical contact with the woman during the [May] 13 altercation in the Beverly Center parking lot — but as one source puts it, “It doesn’t appear there’s criminal intent to injure her.”

One source says it appears Urías used his hands in an attempt to stop her from leaving the area during a heated argument.

As pointed out by Bill Plunkett, it is still unclear if Major League Baseball, who is conducting its own investigation, has decided on any potential discipline. Moreover, there is no word on whether the Dodgers will take any action.

The 22-year-old left-hander has posted a 3.18 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 10.16 K/9, and 2.86 BB/9 in 28 1/3 innings this season.

Update:

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, prosecutors have yet to file charges and the Los Angles Police Department has not released an incident report, but MLB’s investigation remains open.

MLB and the MLB Players’ Association originally agreed to place Urías on paid administrative leave, pending review of the video but MLB was unable to get the video from mall security, according to Passan.

Mall officials in possession of the video declined to give it to MLB, and while the league could have pursued a seven-day extension of administrative leave, the union and Urías would not have consented and could have filed a grievance, per the jointly negotiated domestic-violence policy.

The Dodgers have no choice but to add Urías to the roster and they can’t option him to the minor leagues, as Passan points out.

The Dodgers, who declined comment through a spokesman, are required to abide by the jointly negotiated rules and cannot levy discipline on Urías or keep him from returning to their roster.

It puts the Dodgers in a tough spot and makes for an awkward situation as they have had a consistent zero tolerance policy on domestic violence since the Guggenheim Partners took over in 2012.

As always, Dodgers Nation will keep you updated with the latest on the situation.

Blake Williams

I graduated with an Associate's Degree in Journalism from Los Angeles Pierce College and now I'm working towards my Bachelor's at Cal State University, Northridge. I'm currently the managing editor for the Roundup News and a writer for Dodgers Nation. Around the age of 12, I fell in love with baseball and in high school, I realized my best path to working in baseball was as a writer, so that's the path I followed. I also like to bring an analytics viewpoint to my work and I'm always willing to help someone understand them since so many people have done the same for me. Thanks for reading!

11 Comments

  1. If he didn’t commit the crime, seems like the zero tolerance line hasn’t been crossed

    1. He was arrested and is still being investigated for domestic battery. He may be innocent but they’ve passed on Aroldis Chapman and Roberto Osuna before their investigations were over. He may very well be innocent but having a player who is being investigated for it on their active roster, with their track record on these situations, makes it a weird problem for them.

  2. Sorry, I can’t agree. Too PC for this cat. Like automatically believing every MeToo accusation.

  3. If all this nothingness continues the Dodgers will be making a big mistake if they deal him away. They once traded away a young pitcher who ended up in the HOF. I’m with Charly, “to PC for this cat.”

  4. On a different subject, that Sean Doolittle “toe-tap,” illegal pitch claim by Cubs manager Joe Madden, will it effect Kershaw’s, Jansen’s and any other pitcher that has any “little hesitation” in their pitching motion.?

  5. I just wish either MLB says “Urias will be suspended because he violated MLB Domestic-abuse policy” etc or clear him of this. Seems like Urias is still in limbo?

  6. I agree with PaulDodgerFan1965 re his comments about the Urias situation. Until he is fully cleared by MLB, there will always be a cloud above him. The sooner this is resolved the better for all parties. Frankly, the only people who know the truth at present are Urias and his female companion. Go Blue!

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