Blue Jays: Roberto Osuna intends to plead not guilty to assault charge

Toronto Blue Jays troubled closer Roberto Osuna plans to enter a not guilty plea in response to domestic assault allegations levied against him according to his lawyer Domenic Basile.

The league also extended Roberto Osuna‘s administrative leave yet again this time until June 25th, however, the closer is not due back in court until July 09th. Basile indicated to the media that he expects the MLB to hold off on any discipline against Osuna until the criminal proceedings are complete.

Osuna has been scarce around the ballpark since the incident was made public but he has been back and forth to Florida where he has been working out at the Blue Jays training facility in Dunedin.

The court case has many layers and severe ramifications for the 23-year old native of Mexico who could have his immigration status revoked if found guilty. It is difficult to find any scenario where Osuna pitches in the majors again this season and possibly never again north of the border.

The Blue Jays are undoubtedly monitoring every development with baited breath hopeful the young hurler can overcome this unfortunate indiscretion. The Jays are between a rock and a hard place as their eventual decision on the future of Osuna will definitely not appease everyone with a vested interest.

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From strictly a baseball perspective, Osuna is a huge piece of the Jays puzzle and the most important arm in their bullpen. The youngster was going to be relied upon for the next decade to close out games and already has 104 MLB saves under his belt. If he is unable to ever pitch for the Jays again, that would be a huge loss for the ball club.

Osuna has yet to speak publicly about the incident which is common practice when the allegations are still before the courts. Osuna battled bouts of depression last season that required the young closer to take some time away from the ball field to clear his head.

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Hopefully, at the end of the day, Osuna can overcome these latest challenges and be exonerated in a court of law.