MLB Suspends Julio Urias, First To Violate Violence Policy Twice

The baseball career of former Dodgers star Julio Urias will be curtailed if not terminated by his suspension for alleged domestic violence.

The left-handed pitcher, who won 20 games in 2021 and posted a league-best 2.16 earned run average a year later, has been suspended through the 2025 All-Star break by Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred after an intensive investigation.

The game will be played in Atlanta’s Truist Park on July 15.

He will be reinstated on July 17 but will then need to find a team willing to take a chance and work his way back into playing condition – a process that could take at least a month.

His Second Suspension

Finding a new home could be impossible for Urias, the first man suspended twice under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy. But he won’t turn 29 until August and left-handed pitchers often seem to have an advantage over their right-handed counterparts – simply because southpaws are fewer in number.

Primarily a starter during his eight years in the majors, Urias is remembered for his white-rimmed glasses and single-digit uniform (No. 7 with Los Angeles). He is 60-25 during the regular season and 8-3 in post-season play.

The 6-foot, 220-pound Mexican broke into the big leagues in 2016 and has been used mainly as a starting pitcher since.

“Having reviewed all of the available evidence,” Manfred said in a statement issued by the Office of the Commissioner, “I have concluded that Mr. Urias violated our policy and that discipline is appropriate.”

The pitcher was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence in September 2023 after an altercation outside BMO Stadium in Los Angeles after a major-league soccer game. Civilian video obtained by the police appeared to show Urias in a physical altercation with a woman.

Booked and released on a $50,000 bond, he was placed on administrative leave by the Dodgers and then became a free agent after that season.

Five Misdemeanors

In December, the Los Angeles Police Department referred their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office to determine whether charges should be filed. Although no felony charges were filed, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office later charged Urias with five misdemeanors: spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery involving a dating relationship, one county of false imprisonment, and one count of assault.

The pitcher pleaded no contest to one domestic battery charge but the others were dropped as a condition of his plea.

The L.A. City Attorney’s office said Urias would serve 36 months on probation, perform 30 days of community service, complete a year-long domestic violence counseling program, pay a fee to a domestic violence fund, pay the victim restitution and abide by an order of protection. He was aksi barred from possessing any weapons.

His latest troubles followed a 2019 arrest for allegedly shoving a female companion to the ground.

The Los Angeles City Attorney did not prosecute on the condition that Urías complete a 52-week domestic violence counseling program, among other criteria.

He did receive a 20-game suspension, however, under MLB’s authority to punish players allegedly implicated in domestic or sexual violence even if law enforcement declines or defers charges. That authority was authorized under a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association.

If Urias does not resume his pitching career, his potential financial losses will be staggering. The Dodgers paid him $14,250,000 under the one-year contract he signed in 2023.

It could be his last.