Venice, Florida — Outfielder Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves has apologised to supporters and his teammates for his arrest on charges of aggravated assault by strangulation and battery last year. Police claimed to have seen Ozuna assaulting his wife.
This week marked Ozuna’s first comeback to the squad following his detention on May 29. Due to his placement on administrative leave throughout Major League Baseball’s investigation, he was unable to participate in Atlanta’s quest for the World Series last year.
Under its domestic violence policy, MLB suspended the 31-year-old retroactively for 20 games in November of last year. However, he was able to return for the 2022 season’s opening.
Ozuna said, “Yeah, I talked to my team,” on Monday, the first day of full-squad spring training exercises. “I spoke to my team and said, ‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake.'”
On Monday, before practice started, a few guys gathered around Ozuna’s locker in the clubhouse, welcoming him back to the squad as always.
Through an interpreter, teammate Ronald Acuña Jr. remarked, “It’s good to have him back.” “You know, he plays the ball so well. Everyone faces problems both on and off the pitch, as evidenced by the events that occurred off the pitch. Anyone may experience some of the things that occur off the pitch.”