Washington Nationals pitching prospect Seth Romero was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office in Texas (h/t Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post).
The 25-year old Romero was released on $5,000 bond.
“We are aware of the incident involving Seth Romero,” a Nationals spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Post. “We are working to gather more information and will refrain from making any further comments at this time.”
The Nationals are not allowed to have contact with Romero or any of its players on the 40-man roster due to the Major League Baseball lockout. The club cannot discipline Romero until the lockout ends.
Romero has struggled with off-the-field issues in the past. In college while playing at Houston, he was viewed as one of the top pitching prospects. However, his draft stop dropped following two suspensions in three years at Houston.
He was suspended by the school as a sophomore for lack of conditioning. As a junior in 2017, he was suspended for in part testing positive for marijuana. A week later Houston dismissed him from the team for reportedly fighting a teammate
Romero slid down the 2017 MLB Draft following his checkered collegiate career. However, the Nationals selected him in the first round with the 25th overall pick.
In March 2018, the Nationals sent Romero home from spring training for violating a club policy. Later that year, he underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. The injury kept him from pitching in 2019.
Romero made his MLB debut during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He appeared in three games, recording a 13.50 ERA in 2.2 innings. He was placed on the injured list after breaking his wrist during a fall down the stairs.
