Blue Jays player charged with assault

Canadian police have charged Toronto Blue Jays baseball pitcher Roberto Osuna with assault.

Toronto authorities have confirmed they charged the 23-year-old major league baseball player on Tuesday and that he will appear in court on 18 June.

Police would not provide any further details with regards to the assault charge.

Mr Osuna has since been released from police custody and has been placed on administrative leave by the league.

In a statement sent to the Canadian Press, Major League Baseball (MLB) said it “takes all the allegations of this nature very seriously”.

“We are investigating the circumstances in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players’ Association) Domestic Violence Policy.”

The joint policy by the league and the players’ association came into force in August 2015.

In a statement, the team said they are aware of the incident and fully support the decision by the office of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to place Mr Osuna on leave.

“We are taking the matter extremely seriously, as the type of conduct associated with this incident is not reflective of our values as an organisation,” the team said.

Mr Osuna, originally from Juan Jose Rios, Mexico, has been with the Blue Jays for four seasons, since 2015.

The team had planned to give away t-shirts bearing the name of the closing pitcher to fans on Thursday during a game with the Seattle Mariners.