Blue Jays: Roberto Osuna’s administrative leave extended once again

Roberto Osuna, who was arrested on May 8th and charged with assault, has had his administrative leave extended for the third time, an official release says.

According to the official Twitter account of MLB Communications, 23-year-old closer Roberto Osuna has had his administrative leave extended by Major League Baseball for the third time. This extension will keep Osuna off the field through June 4th, the report says.

Osuna was charged with assault on a woman in Toronto on May 8th. Immediately following the release by the Toronto Police Department, commissioner Rob Manfred placed Osuna on paid administrative leave.

According to MLB’s domestic violence policy, a standard administrative leave last for seven days and can be extended for an additional seven days at any point throughout the original leave period.

At this point, Osuna’s trial date has been set for Monday, June 18th. It’s unlikely any significant resolution will happen before then, and the days following the court appearance will reveal the nature of both the incident and his possible punishment.

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Prior to being arrested, Osuna was enjoying yet another successful season as the Blue Jays’ closer, pitching to a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings, striking out 13 and notching nine saves. Earlier this season, Osuna became the youngest player to ever reach 100 saves following a game against the Baltimore Orioles. According to BaseballReference.com, Osuna has been 0.5 WAR so far this season.

Osuna was signed by the Blue Jays as an international free agent in August 2011 and is currently under contract until 2020. He is arbitration eligible for the next two seasons.

In the meantime, the Blue Jays continue to use the “closer by committee” strategy in which they use multiple relievers to close games instead of assigning a concrete role to one pitcher. So far, Tyler Clippard (4-2, 3.24 ERA, 2 SV) and Seunghwan Oh (1-0, 2.45 ERA, 1 SV) have filled that position, with fellow relievers John Axford (0-0, 3.91 ERA) and Ryan Tepera (3-1, 3.00 ERA) expected to see some time in the closers role as well.

Jays Journal will continue to bring you the latest news as this story develops.

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