Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was charged with five misdemeanor counts stemming from his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence last September outside BMO Stadium in Exposition Park.
The 27-year-old is scheduled to be arraigned May 2 on two counts of domestic battery and a count each of spousal battery, false imprisonment and assault at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, court records show.
An attorney for Urías didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the charges.
The charges were filed with the court on Monday, said Ivor Pine, deputy director of communications for Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto.
In January, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file a felony case against Urías and instead referred the matter to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for consideration of whether a misdemeanor case was warranted.
Urías, who became a free agent at the end of the 2023 season, was arrested Sept. 3 by police in Exposition Park following a much-publicized soccer match between LAFC and Inter Miami — featuring star Lionel Messi — at BMO Stadium. He posted bond and was released the next day.
The alleged victim in the case was Urías’ wife, according to a District Attorney’s Office charge evaluation worksheet in January.
“They engaged in an argument whereby the defendant pushed the victim against a fence and pulled her by the hair or shoulders,” according to the document. “Neither the victim’s injuries nor the defendant’s criminal history justify a felony filing. The case is accordingly referred to the city attorney for misdemeanor filing consideration.”
Urías was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball days after his arrest, and the Dodgers issued a statement saying the team was cooperating fully with the investigation.
“The Dodgers take all allegations of the kind in this case very seriously, and we do not condone or excuse any acts of domestic violence,” the team said.
MLB said in a statement Tuesday that its investigation is ongoing but declined to comment further.
A conviction on the spousal battery, domestic battery or false imprisonment means up to a year in county jail or a fine or both jail time and fine, according to Pine.
The assault charge carries a sentence of up to six months in county jail or a fine of up to $1,000 or both, he said.
The fine for spousal battery is up to $6,000, up to $2,000 for domestic battery and up to $1,000 for false imprisonment, Pine said.
Urías was 11-8 during the 2023 season with a 4.60 earned-run average. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Dodgers in 2016, and has a lifetime record of 60-25 with a 3.11 ERA.
He was suspended for 20 games in 2019 by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for an incident in the parking lot of the Beverly Center on May 13 of that year. TMZ reported that a witness called police saying that Urías was arguing with a woman and shoved her to the ground. Officers responded to the scene and spoke with the woman, who denied anything physical took place, insisting it was nothing more than a heated argument.
Urías was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery in that incident, but no charges were filed.
Southern California News Group Staff writer Ruby Gonzales and The Associated Press contributed to this report
