Astros Speak Out After Activating Pitcher Who Just Served Domestic Violence Suspension
The Houston Astros issued a statement over the weekend explaining their decision to acquire reliever Roberto Asuna after he was arrested for alleged domestic violence back in May.
One day after he was activated, Osuna was on the mound. He pitched Monday against the San Francisco Giants and picked up the win.
Osuna entered the game in the eighth and retired the side in order.The Astros were losing 1-0 at the time. After Marwin Gonzalez hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth, Houston took a 3-1 lead. The Astros held on for a 3-1 victory as Osuna picked up the win in his Houston debut.
The world champions have taken some heat for trading for Osuna, who was serving a 75-game suspension after being arrested May 8 in Toronto on suspicion of assaulting a woman.
Watching Roberto Osuna take the mound for the Astros is a good reminder the Astros zero tolerance policy on domestic violence only applies if you're not that good at baseball
— Andy Johnson (@TheDirtJohnson) August 7, 2018
Very few details have been made public about the arrest, but Osuna is due to appear in court in Toronto on Sept. 5.
The Astros have a zero-tolerance policy regarding domestic violence, as does Major League Baseball.
Jeff Luhnow, the Astros’ president and general manager, was asked about the decision to acquire Osuna on July 30 via trade given the team’s policy.
“Quite frankly, I believe that you can have a zero-tolerance policy and also have an opportunity to give people second chances when they have made mistakes in the past in other organizations,” Luhnow said, according to Yahoo Sports. “That’s kind of how we put those two things together.”
On Saturday, the day he was reactivated after serving MLB’s 75-game suspension, the Astros released a statement further explaining their decision.
“On August 4th, Roberto Osuna willfully and successfully completed his MLB domestic violence program requirements. Because of the ongoing legal proceedings, very little can be said about the incident itself or the case involving Roberto,” the team said in the statement.
“Our decision to acquire Roberto was based on the entirety of information that we gathered during our extensive evaluation,” the statement continued. “That included as much information as we could gather about the specific incident and the charges that were filed but it also included as much information as we could gather about his actions before and after the incident, as well as his personal reputation among his former teammates and coaches. The information regarding this specific incident weighed heavily on our decision but when evaluating the entirety of the information, we felt that Roberto deserved a second chance.
https://twitter.com/bgardnerfanclub/status/1026191608331550720
“We are now focused on ensuring that Roberto makes a positive impact off the field while he is a member of the Houston Astros. We are providing Roberto with the benefit of a great clubhouse and organization as a supportive environment for this fresh start. We welcome being held accountable for all of our personnel decisions. Time will tell which ones were right and wrong. We believe that Roberto will not let us down. If there is any type of issue in the future, we will take immediate and decisive action — it will not be tolerated.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for our organization. We understood that it would cause significant debate. We are strong believers in protecting the rights of victims and remain committed to having a positive impact on our community. We will use this decision to significantly increase our support, raise awareness, and influence change regarding the issues of domestic violence and abuse of any kind. We have engaged with Houston Area Women’s Center, Texas Council on Family Violence, and National Network to End Domestic Violence and look forward to working with them. We passionately maintain our commitment to our fans and the city of Houston. We have always been and will continue to be strong corporate citizens for our community.”
Osuna, 23, was an All-Star last year with the Blue Jays, picking up 39 saves.
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