Finally
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/14/seth-romero-released-nationals-dwi/The Washington Nationals on Monday released Seth Romero, according to a team spokeswoman, after the left-hander was arrested for driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance Sunday in Sweeny, Tex. It was Romero’s second DWI arrest of the year, with the first occurring in January.
Romero, 26, was a first-round draft pick by the Nationals in 2017. Since he joined the organization, he was sent home from spring training for violating club policy in 2018; debuted in the major leagues as a reliever in 2020; dealt with a host of injuries and received another chance after his DWI charge last winter. Romero has made just three major league appearances, posting a 13.50 ERA in 2⅔ innings, and finished last season with Class AA Harrisburg.
He was released on bond Sunday, according to online jail records for the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office. Romero’s possession charge was classified in “Penalty Group 2,” meaning he was found with between 4 and 400 grams of a substance not specified by the jail records.
Attempts to reach Romero for comment Monday were not successful. According to a person familiar with the situation, the Nationals referred Romero to MLB’s Joint Treatment Board, a group that includes medical professionals specializing in substance abuse as well as representatives from MLB and the players union.
The Nationals drafted Romero 25th overall despite a handful of off-the-field issues at the University of Houston. During his sophomore year there, he was suspended for what the school described as “conduct detrimental to the team.” The Houston Chronicle later reported the suspension was largely tied to a “lack of effort regarding conditioning.” Then as a junior, Romero was suspended again, this time for nearly a month because of a “violation of team rules” on a trip to play the University of Central Florida.
The Houston Chronicle reported the second suspension was partly tied to Romero testing positive for marijuana. About a week later, he was dismissed from the team, which the Chronicle reported was because of a fight with another player.
In August, Nationals Manager Dave Martinez was asked how many opportunities Romero would get with the organization following his first DWI charge. Martinez focused his answer on Romero’s ability to chart his path.
“For me, honestly, that’s up to Seth Romero,” he said. “He’s very talented, and he’s had some issues and we’ve talked to him about them. At this point, it’s up to him. He can definitely help us [down] the road. But he’s got to do the right things. As you know, I don’t tolerate a whole lot of things off the field. He’s got to do the right things off the field as well as perform on the field. Only time will tell.
“He’s still fairly young, which is good. It all just depends on how Seth wants to move forward.”