San Diego Padres left-hander Jose Torres has been placed on the restricted list after it came to light he had been arrested in December on domestic violence charges.
According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Torres is alleged to have knocked a door off its hinges and pointed a gun at a woman at his home in Phoenix. It is unclear whether the woman was his wife, with whom he shares the home, or someone else. From Acee:
According to the probable cause statement contained in the court report, Torres knocked a door off its hinges and punched a hole in another door. He also pointed the gun at the victim, according to the report.
Torres was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage and making threats or intimidation.
His next appearance in Maricopa County Superior Court is a pretrial conference scheduled for Feb. 20.
The Padres placed Torres on the restricted list Monday and announced he will not report to spring training. "We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with the investigation being conducted by the Commissioner's Office. We will not have any further comment at this time," said the team's statement.
Torres likely faces discipline under MLB's relatively new domestic violence policy, however commissioner Rob Manfred typically waits until the legal process plays out before handing out a suspension. Aroldis Chapman, Jose Reyes, Jeurys Familia, and Hector Olivera are among the players who have been suspended under the domestic violence policy.
The 24-year-old Torres threw 68 1/3 innings with a 4.21 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 2017. He was expected to compete for a bullpen spot in camp. Players on the restricted list do not count against the 40-man roster, are not paid, and do not accrue service time.
