Ex-Dodgers star Julio Urias plans MLB return two years after domestic violence arrest at MLS game in LA

Julio Urias, the disgraced former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who pleaded no contest to a domestic battery charge last year, wants to continue his baseball career, agent Scott Boras told the Los Angeles Times.

'[Urias] still has every intention to continue his career,' Boras said at Tuesday's All-Star game in Atlanta. 'He's getting in shape. Obviously, he'll have options that are open to him.'

The LA Times is reporting several teams have inquired about the 28-year-old southpaw who won a World Series title in 2020 before leading the National League in victories in 2021 and earned-run average (ERA) in 2022.

Although Boras did not address the issue specifically, Urias' no-contest plea to a domestic violence charge in 2024 could be used to prevent him from returning to an MLB team due to immigration issues.

The incident took place at a 2023 MLS game between Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and LAFC, where Urias was seen angrily running after his wife and shoving her face into a fence. Along with Harry Windsor, the Duke of Sussex and a British royal, Urias was one of many celebrities in attendance that night. 

Urias faced five misdemeanor charges after posting $50,000 bail, four of which were dropped. He also pleaded no contest to misdemeanor domestic battery in May of 2024. The native of the Mexican state of Sinaloa was sentenced to 36 months of probation and 30 days of community service. He was also required to complete a 52-week domestic violence counselling course – the second of his tenure in Los Angeles.

He was previously arrested for domestic battery in LA back in May of 2019 and was also required to take the domestic violence counselling course.

Urias has been a free agent since October after spending the first eight years of his career with the Dodgers, who first signed him as a 16-year-old playing for Mexico's Diablos Rojos.

He made his rookie debut in 2016, and although he was suspended in 2019 after his first domestic violence charge, Urias established himself as one of the more dominant left-handed pitchers in baseball.

In 2022, for instance, he led the majors in ERA+, which measures a pitchers earned runs allowed while adjusting for ballpark factors and league averages. The statistic helps to compare pitchers across different teams, leagues and eras.

Urias also had the best winning percentage in baseball in 2021 at 20-3.