Phillies outfielder Odúbel Herrera remains on administrative leave and will be until at least June 17 following an arrest in Atlantic City. The 2016 All-Star was charged with simple assault and knowingly causing bodily injury to his girlfriend in a casino on Memorial Day.
Per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the Phillies asked Major League Baseball to remove Herrera’s name from the All-Star ballot. The club also removed five of Herrera’s banners from Citizens Bank Park: four on light poles around the stadium and one in the concourse area.
Bonnie Clark, Phillies VP of communications, said, “We don’t believe it’s appropriate to display them while the investigation is going on.”
Though a very low bar, this is the most proactive a team has been in dealing with a player involved in a domestic violence situation. Other teams have either been mum on the issue or offered mealy-mouthed defenses of the player in question.
Herrera, 27, is owed the remainder of his $5 million salary for this season and has two years and $20.5 million with club options for the 2022 and ’23 seasons. The Phillies would be on the hook for the remainder of his contract minus the prorated major league minimum salaries if Herrera were to be released.
The Phillies acquired outfielder Jay Bruce from the Mariners on Sunday. While the club is perilously thin on outfield depth, it seemed to in part be insurance for losing Herrera for a significant period of time. Whether convicted or not, MLB can fine and suspend Herrera at the conclusion of its investigation.
