When Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers returned to their clubhouse on Monday, they found that pitcher Julio Urías’ locker had been completely cleared out and replaced.
That decision — which Roberts said he learned about when the rest of the team did on Monday — is a sign that the team is "moving on" from Urías after his arrest on domestic violence charges earlier this month.
"It's sad," Roberts said on Monday, via Dodger Blue. "It really, it's sad on every level."
Urías was arrested last week and charged with felony domestic violence. He was reportedly arrested near BMO Stadium on Sept. 3, the same day that Inter Miami and Lionel Messi were playing against LAFC in a Major League Soccer match. Further specifics of his arrest are not yet known.
Major League Baseball then placed Urías on administrative leave two days later while it investigates. He has not been with the team since.
The Dodgers cleared out Urías’ locker on Monday, and gave it to infielder Kolten Wong. The team also covered up a few murals at Dodger stadium that had featured Urías, and canceled a Urías bobblehead night scheduled for later this month.
Roberts said the decision to clear out his locker was an organizational one.
“There’s really not much for me to comment on, other than the fact that, like I said on the first day, this is a very, very unfortunate, sad situation,” he said.
Urías, 27, was also arrested in May 2019 after witnesses told police they saw him push a woman to the ground in a parking lot. He was not charged in that incident, and instead entered a year-long domestic violence counseling program. MLB suspended him for 20 games for that incident. No player has been suspended twice for violating the league's domestic violence policy.
Urías is set to be a free agent after this season. He holds a 4.60 ERA, his worst since 2017, in more than 117 innings pitched. He missed more than a month with a hamstring injury, too. He was on pace for a nine-figure contract after both leading the NL with a 2.16 ERA last season and helping the Dodgers to a World Series win in 2020.
Now, though, his career is very much in limbo. And if Monday’s moves around Dodger Stadium are any indication, his time in Los Angeles appears to be limited.