Julio Urías, former Dodgers ace, reappears in Mexico after years away from the spotlight
Julio Urias was suspended by MLB for a second domestic violence incident. Now he’s back in Mexico.
Julio Urías stopped pitching in the Major Leagues on an ordinary night that ended up carrying more weight than many victories. On September 1, 2023, he left the mound after five innings, having allowed five runs against Atlanta. He took the loss. Three days later, his name left the sports pages and appeared elsewhere. Urías was arrested on domestic violence charges, the second such incident on his record. Since then, the most dominant left-hander Mexico had produced in decades has largely vanished from public view.
There were no personal statements or social media posts. No photos of private workouts or bullpen sessions. Urías entered a kind of self-imposed silence while MLB investigated the case under its domestic violence policy. At the time, he was in the final year of his contract with the Dodgers, with his next deal widely expected to exceed $200 million.
The résumé was both recent and impressive. World Series champion in 2020. League leader in wins in 2021 with 20. Cy Young and MVP finalist in 2022. A left-handed starter defined by command and a narrative that ran from humble beginnings in Sinaloa to the centre of the most demanding business in sport. All of it was placed on hold in a matter of days.
Months later, the commissioner’s office closed the investigation. Rob Manfred announced that Urías had violated MLB policy and imposed a suspension that extended through the middle of the 2025 season. There was no public appeal and no media defence. The punishment was served away from the diamond and away from the spotlight.
From that point on, his anonymity was almost total. No team showed formal interest. There was no visible attempt to return through the margins of the system. Urías was removed from the conversation in a sport that rarely pauses. His absence became routine.
Until now.
Recently, a photograph taken at a restaurant in Meoqui, Chihuahua, brought his face back into circulation. No uniform. No sporting context. Just a former player recognised by local fans. The image went viral and quickly fuelled speculation about a possible comeback.
Not long after, something more revealing occurred. In Salón de Actos, a community of barely 600 people in the municipality of Rosales, Chihuahua, a group of children were training, unaware of who was about to arrive. It was a Monday afternoon. Urías showed up without notice. He greeted everyone. He picked up a glove. He joined the session like any other kid. He threw. It was the first time he had been seen throwing a baseball in public since September 2023.
The scene unfolded on a modest field in northern Mexico. There were no official cameras and no speeches. Just basic baseball and a name that once filled stadiums. The left-hander was there without a contract, without a defined status, waiting to see whether there was still a place for him in the professional game.
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Julio Urías’ future no longer depends solely on his arm. It depends on a league with tightened standards and an industry that weighs talent against reputational cost. His story is no longer written only in statistics. It now exists in an uncomfortable space where past performance does not guarantee a second chance.
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