Julio Urías, a free-agent left-handed pitcher, has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office confirmed to CBS Sports Thursday. The former Dodgers pitcher has been sentenced to 36 months of probation and will need to complete 30 days of community service. He also must complete a 52-week domestic violence counseling course and pay a domestic violence fund fee. Further, he is not permitted to possess any weapons or use any force or violence while also paying restitution to the victim and abiding by the protective order against said victim.
As part of the plea deal, the four other charges were dropped, including a second count of domestic battery, one of spousal battery, one of false imprisonment and one of assault.
Back in January, the Los Angeles District Attorney elected against pursuing felony charges for Urías.
Urías, 27, was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball just days after the alleged incident. According to an ESPN report at the time, he was accused of having a physical altercation with his wife outside of BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, following a soccer match between Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and LAFC. According to ESPN, a bystander captured footage of the incident on their cellphone.
MLB retains the right to punish any player it finds to have violated the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, even if that player is not arrested or found to be guilty in a court of law.
Urías, it should be noted, was already suspended for 20 games in 2019 after he was accused of shoving his girlfriend to the ground in a parking lot. If MLB again suspends Urías -- and it stands to reason it would be a lengthy banishment if they do given he's a repeat offender -- he'll become the first player in league history to be punished twice for violating the aforementioned policy.
In parts of eight big-league seasons, Urías finished top-10 in Cy Young Award voting twice. That includes in 2022, after he led the league in earned run average. He has not pitched at any level since being placed on administrative leave. His contract with the Dodgers expired at the end of last season, making him a free agent.
