Report: Rays Star Randy Arozarena Detained After Domestic Violence Allegations

Rays star Randy Arozarena was detained in Mexico's Yucatan state after an incident in which he allegedly attempted to take his daughter from her mother and then assaulted the woman's father, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

According to ESPN, MLB is investigating the incident. A prosecutor handling the case in Mexico will provide further information in the coming days. Arozarena has not been charged.

Arozarena's agent, Abel Guerra, told the Tampa Bay Times that the rookie outfielder's family contacted him and said the 25-year-old had been arrested. He advised Arozarena's family to hire an attorney, which they had already done.

"The only thing I know is he was hyper-sensitive about making sure that the child's needs were being taken care of," Guerra said. "He was always sending money down there, and he was very involved in her life. I don't want to speculate about (anything else)."

According to the Times, Arozarena was expected to be held in custody for 48 hours and was scheduled to meet with his attorney Tuesday evening.

The Rays released a statement on Tuesday night regarding the situation.

"We are aware of reports that Randy Arozarena was detained in Mexico. We are gathering more information on this situation, and we have no further comment at this time," the team said.

According to Mexico's Diario de Yucatan, Arozarena allegedly hit his ex-partner at the home she and his daughter are living in. The Mexican newspaper Yucatan Ahora reported that Arozarena hit the women's father while trying to leave with his daughter. 

The fight appeared to draw attention from nearby neighbors, who stopped Arozarena at a traffic light following the incident. Video of Arozarena being stopped was also shared online by the Yucatan Ahora.

Arozarena, 25, played in just 23 regular-season games in 2020 after dealing with o COVID-19. He thrived in the postseason and set a single-postseason MLB record with 10 home runs.

The Cuban-born Arozarena defected to Mexico before coming to the United States. Arozarena was initially in the Cardinals organization but was traded to Tampa Bay last January.