Red Sox Pitcher Steven Wright Charged With Domestic Assault

Boston Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright was arrested Friday night in Williamson County, Tenn., and charged with domestic-related assault and prevention of a 911 call, according to local authorities. Both charges are misdemeanors, and Wright later was released from custody after he posted bail.

But other than that, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office released very little information about their investigation or what led up to the arrest of the pitcher, an All-Star in 2016, who made five starts in 2017 before having season-ending knee surgery. A spokesperson said that the arrest report was not public at this point, and could only share Wright’s mugshot and booking information.

Wright’s lawyer did release a statement, in which he said that Wright and his wife got in a “verbal argument.” It went on to say, “Although he said things he deeply regrets, he did not raise his hand at anyone during the incident, and the situation was purely emotional.”

Wright is due to appear in court on Dec. 21.

Since the MLB domestic violence policy was enacted in September 2015, five players have received suspensions ranging between 15 and 82 games but, as noted by USA Today, only one—Hector Olivera—was ever criminally charged. It’s expected that MLB will investigate what happened in this case and decide on potential discipline for Wright.