Former Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna charged with assault

Marcell Ozuna, who spent two season with the St. Louis Cardinals, was charged with aggravated assault and misdemeanor battery on Saturday, police said.

Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna was arrested on Saturday afternoon and charged with aggravated assault, strangulation and a misdemeanor battery of his wife, according to jail records on the Fulton County (Ga.) website.

If convicted, Ozuna faces a minimum of three years and up to 20 years in prison. Major League Baseball will open up an investigation, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, with Ozuna being subject to the league’s domestic-violence policy while facing a potential suspension.

Officers, as Passan noted, allegedly witnessed Ozuna grab his wife by her neck and throw her against a wall. He allegedly hit her with the cast on his arm, according to the police department’s release, leaving her with injuries that did not require hospitalization.

Ozuna, 30, was signed by the Atlanta Braves to a four-year, $65 million contract this winter. He is hitting .213/.288/.356 with seven home runs and 26 RBI, but is currently on the injured list with two broken fingers.

Ozuna’s future in baseball is now in jeopardy and the Braves could now look to turn his contract into a non-guaranteed deal since police witnessed the incident, according to Passan, which would save Atlanta over $50 million if they are successful in that claim.

The Braves said that they will not have further comment on the incident after saying that they “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.”

In two seasons with the Cardinals, Ozuna hit .262/.327/.451 with 52 home runs and 177 RBI. He is hitting .273/.333/.461 with 173 home runs and 620 RBI in nine major-league seasons.