Atlanta Braves, MLB Star Marcell Ozuna Arrested For Aggravated Assault Strangulation

Marcell Ozuna, an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves and NL MVP candidate last season, was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault strangulation and misdemeanor battery.

He has been taken into custody and booked into the Fulton County Jail in Georgia, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

The Braves issued this statement Saturday after confirming they knew of Ozuna's arrest.

"We learned of Marcell Ozuna's arrest earlier this evening and immediately informed the Commissioner's Office. The Braves fully support Major League Baseball's policy on domestic violence which stresses to the fullest that our society cannot and will not tolerate domestic violence in any form. Until the investigation is completed, we will have no further comment and all inquiries into the matter should be referred to the Office of the Commissioner."

According to ESPN baseball writer Jeff Passan, the alleged family violence incident happened in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Exactly one year ago, on May 29, 2020, Ozuna's wife was arrested for throwing an object at him in Miami, while MLB teams were on a hiatus during the beginnings of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Braves are playing in New York this week against the Mets, but Ozuna did not travel with the team. He broke some fingers on Tuesday in a game against the Boston Red Sox.

Ozuna made his Major League Baseball debut with the Miami Marlins in 2013, grabbing a base hit that day against the Mets. He hit his first MLB home run against the Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies just a few days later.

He played with the Marlins through the 2017 season, which was the first year he was named as a starter for the All-Star team.

Ozuna was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2018 season, and he knocked his 100th career home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in June of 2018. He was traded to the Braves prior to the 2020 season—which was prior to the pandemic.

Last July, he became the first National League player to hit three home runs in one game at Boston's Fenway Park when he pulled the unseen hat trick. His teammate, Adam Duvall, hit three home runs the very next game against the Red Sox, making them the first teammates in the history of Major League Baseball to hit three homers in back-to-back games.

Freddie Freeman, who was also his Atlanta teammate in 2020, won the National League's MVP that year. Ozuna finished sixth overall in the voting behind Freeman, Mookie Betts (Dodgers), Manny Machado (Padres), Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres) and Juan Soto (Nationals).