Julio Urías #
Introduction #
Julio César Urías Acosta (born August 12, 1996) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher who spent his entire MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed “El Culichi,” he was signed in 2012 at age 16, debuted in 2016, led the National League in wins in 2021 and in earned run average in 2022, and helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series. His career unraveled in September 2023, when he was arrested for felony domestic violence — his second such arrest — after which MLB placed him on administrative leave, the Dodgers let his contract expire, and in March 2025 the league suspended him for a second violation of its domestic violence policy, the first player suspended twice under it.
Background Information #
Urías grew up in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, and played for Mexico’s national youth team. Discovered at 15 by Dodgers scout Mike Brito, he was signed on his 16th birthday in 2012 for a $450,000 signing fee. Rated the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball entering 2015, he made his major league debut on May 27, 2016, at 19 — the youngest starting pitcher in the majors since Félix Hernández in 2005. A shoulder injury ended his 2017 season, but he returned to pitch in the 2018 postseason.
His best years followed. In 2020 he became a full-time starter and was on the mound when the Dodgers clinched the World Series in Game 6. In 2021 he went 20–3 with a 2.96 ERA, leading the league in wins and earning All-MLB Second Team honors; in 2022 he finished 17–7 and led the National League with a 2.16 ERA, another All-MLB Second Team season. Over parts of eight big-league seasons he posted a 60–25 record, 3.11 ERA, and 710 strikeouts, a two-time top-10 Cy Young Award finisher. He was the Dodgers’ opening day starter in 2023 and pitched for Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #
Urías was first arrested for domestic battery in May 2019 after an argument with his wife in a Los Angeles parking lot; his wife later said she fell on her own. The city attorney deferred prosecution on condition that he complete a domestic violence counseling program, and although he was never charged, he was suspended 20 games without pay for violating MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.
On September 3, 2023, Urías was arrested for felony domestic violence after an incident at an LAFC soccer match; a witness reported seeing him assaulting a woman outside BMO Stadium and called police. He was taken into custody without incident and released after posting bail. MLB.com reported he was freed on $50,000 bond with a court date of September 27. “We are aware of an incident involving Julio Urías. While we attempt to learn all the facts, he will not be traveling with the team,” the Dodgers said in a statement. On September 6, MLB placed him on administrative leave.
On January 9, 2024, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office announced it would not pursue felony charges against Urías. On April 9, 2024, the city attorney charged him with five misdemeanors — spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery involving a dating relationship, false imprisonment, and assault. On May 1, 2024, Urías pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor domestic battery charge in a plea deal that dropped the others; he was sentenced to 36 months of probation, 30 days of community service, and a 52-week counseling course. A witness video of the incident was released in September 2024.
On March 21, 2025, MLB announced that Urías had been suspended through the 2025 All-Star break for a second violation of the policy — the first time any player had been suspended twice under it since it took effect in 2015. “The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball has completed its investigation into allegations that free agent pitcher Julio Urías violated Major League Baseball’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “I have concluded that Mr. Urías violated our Policy and that discipline is appropriate.”
Public Reaction and Consequences #
The Dodgers distanced themselves immediately: they said Urías would not travel with the team, and MLB placed him on administrative leave on September 6, 2023. His final MLB appearance came on September 1, 2023; his contract expired at the end of the season, making him a free agent, and the Dodgers did not re-sign him.
The 2025 suspension was not tied to a fixed number of games because teams do not play an equal number before the All-Star break; it ended with Urías’ reinstatement from the restricted list on July 17, 2025. He agreed to submit to an evaluation by the Joint Policy Board and to comply with any of the board’s recommendations. CBS Sports noted that MLB retains the right to discipline any player found to have violated the policy “even if that player has not been arrested, charged with a crime, or found to be guilty in a court of law.”
Current Status #
Urías remains a free agent and has not pitched in MLB since September 2023. Reinstated from the restricted list on July 17, 2025, when his suspension ended at the All-Star break, he has still not signed with a team.
Impact on Their Career/Life #
The fall was as abrupt as the rise: Urías went from the pitcher on the mound when the Dodgers clinched the 2020 World Series and the National League’s ERA leader in 2022 to an unsigned free agent who has not pitched in MLB since September 2023 — and the first player suspended twice under MLB’s domestic violence policy. The 2019 arrest had already cost him 20 games; the 2023 arrest ended his time with the Dodgers and produced a second, longer suspension. Though the district attorney declined felony charges, his no-contest plea to domestic battery left him on probation for 36 months — a legal record that, alongside MLB’s discipline, has kept one of Mexico’s most accomplished pitchers out of the game at the peak of his career.