LOS ANGELES _ In the days leading up to the arrest of Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias, Major League Baseball's effort to take on domestic violence was already grabbing the public's attention.
On May 8 in Chicago, Cubs shortstop Addison Russell returned to Wrigley Field for his first game after serving a 40-game suspension levied by MLB after Russell's ex-wife alleged last September that the player physically and mentally abused her. Russell denied the allegations and was not charged with a crime, but, under MLB's collectively-bargained domestic violence policy, the league conducted its own investigation and suspended him.
The Wrigley crowd booed Russell, 25, who struck out in his first plate appearance.
On May 12 in Houston, Astros pitcher Roberto Osuna had a Mother's Day surprise for his 130,000 Twitter followers. Osuna served a 75-game suspension last season for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, the mother of his son. The incident occurred while he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Astros traded for the star reliever during his suspension so they would have him available for their playoff run. In September, a Canadian judge cleared Osuna of a crime.
So when Osuna, 24, tweeted a picture of the hot-pink cleats he planned to wear for the Astros' game on Mother's Day and referenced his "haters," it prompted a backlash on social media.
One day later, Urias, the Dodgers' 22-year-old potential future ace, left the Beverly Center in L.A. in police custody, arrested Monday night on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to reports of an incident in the shopping mall's parking lot, where witnesses told police they saw a man identified as Urias shove a woman, who fell over. Urias was released a few hours later on $20,000 bond.
The next day, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred put Urias on paid administrative leave pending investigation, the first step of the league's process in determining disciplinary action.
As has been shown in most cases since MLB began investigating domestic violence allegations against its players in 2016, including those against Russell and Osuna, the league has not hesitated to impose punishment even when criminal charges are not filed. Urias might ultimately be cleared of criminal wrongdoing, but that would have little bearing on what Manfred decides.
