Philadelphia Phillies' Odubel Herrera suspended for 85 games in domestic-violence case
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera will be suspended for the remainder of the season over a domestic-violence case.
Charges against Herrera were dropped on Wednesday when his girlfriend declined to press charges.
But Major League Baseball said it was still investigating the case and on Friday the commissioner's office announced that Herrera had accepted a suspension for the remainder of the season and the postseason, retroactive to June 24. That's a total of 85 regular-season games.
MLB said he won't appeal the ruling and would enter an evaluation and treatment program.
Herrera has been on leave since soon after he was arrested on suspicion of simple assault in Atlantic City in late May.
Police had been called to the Golden Nugget casino on May 27 because of a report of a domestic assault. According to the police report, "The victim had visible signs of injury to her arms and neck that was sustained after being assaulted by her boyfriend, David Odubel Herrera, during a dispute. The victim refused any medical attention."
Herrera released a statement through the Major League Baseball Players Association in which he apologized "to the Phillies organization, my teammates and all of my fans."
"I acted in an unacceptable manner and am terribly disappointed in myself," he said. "I alone am to blame for my actions. I've taken meaningful steps to assure that nothing like this will ever happen again."
The Phillies said they support the league's ruling.
"All instances of domestic violence are abhorrent and unacceptable, and we unequivocally support baseball's collective efforts to prevent domestic abuse," the team said in a statement. "We are encouraged by Odubel's acceptance of his discipline as an indication of his willingness to learn from this and change his behavior."
Herrera, an All-Star in 2016, is batting .222 this season with one home run and 16 RBI.
***