Julio Urias facing five charges in domestic violence case

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias is facing several charges stemming from his domestic violence arrest last year.

Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reported Tuesday that the city attorney’s office has filed five charges against Urias in Los Angeles Superior Court. He is being charged with two counts of domestic battery involving dating relationship, one count of spousal battery, one count of assault and one count of false imprisonment. Urias is scheduled to be arraigned next month on May 2, Gonzalez adds.

Urias, 27, was arrested in September after allegedly getting physical with his girlfriend outside of BMO Stadium in Los Angeles (where they had attended an LAFC soccer match). The alleged details of the incident were very troubling, and Urias was arrested for felony domestic violence.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided in January not to file any felony charges against Urias over the incident. But the city attorney’s office is now moving ahead with the five charges against Urias (all of which are misdemeanors).

Urias was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball several days after his September arrest, and his contract with the Dodgers expired after the season. Should he attempt to make an MLB return, he will likely face a lengthy suspension, especially as a repeat offender who was already suspended 20 games for a misdemeanor domestic battery arrest in 2019. But Major League Baseball is expected to wait for the legal process with Urias to play out before making such a decision.