Baseball Player Released Over Domestic Violence Video

The Lancaster Barnstormers have released Danry Vasquez following publication of a video of a 2016 incident.

"A recently released video out of Corpus Christi, Texas portrays a domestic violence episode involving Vasquez," a statement posted on the team's Facebook page early Wednesday said. "Upon being made aware of the nature of the incident, the Barnstormers made a prompt decision to cut ties with the 24-year old outfielder.

"There is no choice but to sever the relationship," the statement quoted manager Ross Peeples as saying. "Neither I, nor the Barnstormers' organization as a whole, can condone or associate with that behavior."

On Tuesday KRIS TV of Texas published surveillance video footage of the August 2016 incident obtained through an open records request. It shows a man identified as Vasquez hitting a woman in a stairwell at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi.

The station said the case against Vasquez has been dismissed and he has complied with conditions set by his plea deal, according to Nueces County (Texas) District Attorney Mark Gonzalez.

The Caller-Times in Texas reported that Vasquez was playing for the Corpus Christi Hooks when he was arrested in August 2016 on a misdemeanor assault family violence charge. The minor league team is a Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Major League Baseball suspended him indefinitely shortly afterward and he was subsequently released by the Astros.

Vasquez was among the first three players the Barnstormers signed for 2018, according to a previous announcement by the team, which said Peeples heard about him "from someone in winter ball."

That announcement mentioned his batting average of .315 "in a 40-game stint with the Lancaster Jet Hawks of the California League in 2015," and noted that Vasquez "has batted .250 with one home run for La Guaira in the Venezuelan League this winter."

Read More of Today's AB Headlines

Subscribe to Our Daily E-Newsletter