Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna agreed Thursday to enter a pretrial diversion program that could result in charges related to a domestic violence incident in May being dropped.
Per the agreement, Ozuna will be supervised for six months and complete a 24-week family violence intervention program. He’s also barred from contacting his wife or using illegal drugs and must perform 200 hours of community service.
Fulton County deputy district attorney Simone Hylton said that if Ozuna meets all the conditions, misdemeanor charges of family violence battery and simple assault would be dismissed.
The six-month supervision could also be cut in half if Ozuna meets the rest of the requirements early, Hylton said.
Ozuna, 30, was arrested in late May on charges of battery and aggravated assault by strangulation in the domestic case.
Ozuna, who attended Thursday’s hearing virtually via Zoom, is next scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 13.
Major League Baseball continues to investigate the case and has yet to issue any punishment. Ozuna has been on the injured list since breaking two fingers in a game on May 25, just days before his arrest.
Police officers in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs said they were responding to a 911 call and witnessed Ozuna grab his wife, Genesis, by the neck and throw her against a wall.
The Braves re-signed Ozuna to a four-year, $65 million deal in February after the two-time All-Star batted .338 and led the National League in home runs (18) and RBIs (56) during the shortened 2020 season. He finished sixth in the NL MVP voting.
He was batting .213 with seven homers and 26 RBIs over 48 games this season. Ozuna is a lifetime .273 hitter with 173 homers and 620 RBIs in 1,039 games with the Miami Marlins (2013-17), St. Louis Cardinals (2018-19) and Braves.
