The Dodgers returned home to Dodger Stadium on Monday for the first time in just over a week and there were subtle changes at the ballpark that spoke volumes about the organization’s stance on estranged pitcher Julio Urias.
He doesn’t belong here and more.
Eight days after his arrest for suspicion of domestic violence, all signs of Urias are gone or obscured at Dodger Stadium. Murals painted over or covered. Memorabilia baring his name from his career — particularly from the 2020 World Series run — have been removed. As has his locker in the clubhouse.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke with reporters about the erasure of Urias’s legacy for LA.
“I didn’t know, and … it’s sad, it really is,” Roberts said. “It’s sad on every level.”
Roberts added that the decision to pull the pitcher’s locker was an “organizational decision” that only became aware of minutes before his daily media availability.
The team also pulled a scheduled bobblehead night and replaced it with a left over bobblehead giveaway. His likeness has been removed from marketing assets and all jerseys and merchandise was also pulled from stores at Dodger Stadium.
Urias is on paid administrative leave with no end date announced. He is scheduled for a court date on September 27th in Los Angeles.
