23-year-old MLB All-Star Osuna arrested
Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with assaulting a woman, according to Toronto police.
MLB announced Tuesday the 23-year-old reliever has been placed on administrative leave under its domestic violence policy.
“MLB takes all allegations of this nature very seriously,” the league said in a statement to SportsNet. “We are investigating the circumstances and have placed Roberto Osuna on Administrative Leave in accordance with the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy.”
Under the policy, the league can place a player on leave for up to seven days while it investigates.
The Blue Jays said in a statement that they backed MLB’s decision.
“We are aware of the incident involving Roberto and fully support the decision by the Commissioner’s Office to place him on administrative leave,” the team said. “We are taking the matter extremely seriously, as the type of conduct associated with this incident is not reflective of our values as an organization. As this remains an ongoing investigation by Toronto Police, the Club will not comment further on the matter.”
#BlueJays statement on Roberto Osuna pic.twitter.com/EydoA5ZoUa
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) May 8, 2018
Toronto police Constable Jenifferjit Sidhu said via The Associated Press that Osuna is facing one count of assault, but she provided no further details.
The AP reported that police declined to say publicly whether it was domestic assault. However, Toronto sports broadcaster Hazel Mae quoted a police source as saying the assault involved Osuna’s girlfriend.
Police source confirms Roberto Osuna was charged with domestic assault (girlfriend) and released on his own recognizance.
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) May 8, 2018
TMZ Sports also reported the victim was his girlfriend.
“Our sources say cops got an emergency call during the alleged attack and raced to the scene,” the report said. “Once they got there, Osuna was arrested for assault — we’re told the alleged victim is in a relationship with the MLB star.”
Osuna is scheduled to appear in court June 18, Sidhu said. That’s an off day in the middle of a Blue Jays homestand.
A criminal conviction isn’t required for MLB to suspend a player under its domestic violence policy. Jose Reyes, Aroldis Chapman and Jeurys Familia are among those who have been suspended under the policy.
A native of Mexico, Osuna is in his fourth season with the Blue Jays and has been the club’s closer for most of that time. Over his career, he has 104 saves and a 2.87 ERA. He was an All-Star in 2017.
This season, Osuna has appeared in 15 games and has a 2.93 ERA with nine saves. In April, he became the youngest player in MLB history to reach 100 career saves.
Toronto recalled right-hander Jake Petricka from Triple-A Buffalo to take Osuna’s spot on the roster.
The Blue Jays start a six-game homestand against Seattle on Tuesday night.
According to ESPN, the team was scheduled to give away 15,000 Osuna T-shirts before the series finale Thursday. Toronto’s promotions schedule currently doesn’t mention his name in the T-shirt giveaway.
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