Former Dodgers Pitcher Julio Urias Sentenced to Probation; Is MLB Career Over?

Maren Angus-Coombs | May 3, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

Urías, who recorded the final out for the Dodgers in the 2020 World Series, was sentenced to 36 months of summary probation and 30 days of community labor, he must complete a 52-week domestic violence counseling course and pay a domestic violence fund fee. Urías must not possess any weapons, commit a violent act, pay restitution to the victim, and abide by a protective order.

Wednesday’s no-contest plea meant that a second count of domestic battery against Urías, and one count each of injuring a spouse/cohabitant/fiance/date/child’s parent, assault, and false imprisonment, were dismissed.

Julio Urias Pleads No Contest, Beuhler is Back, Will LA Re-sign Buehler, Trade For Bednar & More https://t.co/w9f1Ua23yL

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) May 2, 2024

The former starting pitcher was suspended for the first time in 2019 under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. While he is currently a free agent, Urías would become the first player suspended twice under the policy, and he would have to serve the suspension before he can pitch for another MLB team. The Dodgers placed him on administrative leave immediately after his arrest, and scrubbed signs of his presence from Dodger Stadium for the final months of the 2023 season.

Urias' career with the Dodgers is over, as this latest incident placed a dark cloud over his name — and his burgeoning baseball career. The other 29 teams might also believe Urias' off-the-field actions warrant ending his career at the game's highest level.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office wrote in January that Urias pushed his wife against a fence and “pulled her by the hair or shoulders” after the two attended an LAFC soccer game at the Coliseum.

Urías was signed by the Dodgers shortly after his 16th birthday and joined the Dodgers as a 19-year-old rookie in 2016. He accumulated 20 wins in 2021 and finished third in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2022.