With situations surrounding domestic violence being handled swiftly, the Houston Astros released outfield prospect Danry Vasquez on August 16th. The decision came down minutes after Commissioner Rob Manfred placed Vazquez on indefinite suspension on August fourth.
Minor League Prospect Released after Domestic Violence Arrest
Vazquez was arrested in April after police alleged he struck his girlfriend three times in a Whataburger Field stairwell, according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
Vasquez, who last played for the Corpus Christi Hooks on July 31, had been placed on unpaid administrative leave. Manfred announced Tuesday night he had placed Vasquez on indefinite suspension, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation. The Astros announced they released Vasquez in a press release distributed five minutes later.
Vasquez had played in the Astros’ organization since July 2013. The Astros acquired him from the Detroit Tigers with pitching prospect David Paulino in exchange for relief pitcher Jose Veras. The Tigers signed Vasquez as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2010.
The Astros released a statement on Tuesday:
“The Astros are aware of the incident involving minor league player Danry Vasquez and are in full cooperation with the Corpus Christi Police Department. Vasquez was immediately placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball pending completion of both their investigation and the criminal investigation. The Houston Astros and all of our affiliates, including the Corpus Christi Hooks, are governed by and strongly support MLB’s domestic violence policy. We take this allegation very seriously, and have taken swift response as we do not condone violence in our organization.
“We fully support the Commissioner’s Office and have confidence that MLB’s investigation will provide a resolution in a timely manner. The Astros are disappointed that this allegation is attached to a member of our organization – we have no further comment on this case until the investigations are complete.”
A day (Wednesday) after placing Vasquez on indefinite leave, the Astros released Vasquez and issued a second statement:
“The Astros have released minor league player Danry Vasquez effective immediately and upon MLB’s ruling today. We are appreciative of MLB’s commitment to take timely action and for the diligence of the Corpus Christi PD in pursuing their investigation.
“We appreciate the ruling today as it supports our firm intention to terminate Danry’s association with our club. We will continue to cooperate with Corpus Christi PD as they complete their investigation.”
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