Montemurro: What will the Phillies do with Odúbel Herrera? Releasing him is not a straightforward option

From Meghan Montemurro at The Athletic on July 4, 2019:

Odúbel Herrera tried to stay out of sight.

In his first public appearance in weeks, the usually affable Herrera appeared quiet and reserved as he left a municipal courtroom Wednesday morning in Atlantic City. Dressed in slacks, a blue collared shirt and a gray blazer with his hair pulled back, Herrera huddled with his lawyers down a hallway, occasionally taking a peek at the assembled crowd, before the hearing for his domestic violence case.

Less than an hour after arriving, Herrera’s baseball future in Philadelphia moved a step closer toward resolution when a judge dismissed the case against the Phillies outfielder, who remains on paid administrative leave. But more than five weeks after being arrested and charged with assaulting his 20-year-old girlfriend on Memorial Day in a Golden Nugget Casino hotel room, it’s unclear how, or when, the complex situation will be resolved.

The state was unable to proceed Wednesday after Herrera’s girlfriend, Melany Martinez-Angulo, declined to press charges. During the hearing, Atlantic City Prosecutor Kelley Blanchet said there were no other witnesses in the hotel room on May 27. She said the state explored the possibility of pursuing the case without Martinez-Angulo’s testimony but determined there was not sufficient evidence.

Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/1061839/2019/07/04/an-explainer-what-will-the-phillies-do-with-odubel-herrera-releasing-him-is-not-a-straightforward-option/



Originally published: July 5, 2019. Last Updated: July 5, 2019.