Jayson Werth pleads guilty to DUI charge

Former Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, who announced his retirement from Major League Baseball in June, pleaded guilty last week to driving under the influence in Arizona, reports Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post.

The 39-year-old Werth was sentenced by the court to a diversion program, charged with more than $1,600 in fines and fees, had his license suspended, and was ordered to undergo drug and alcohol screening.

Werth was arrested in April while playing at the Seattle Mariners' spring training facility in Peoria. He was charged with driving under the influence of liquor, drugs, or vapors, DUI with a blood alcohol content of .08 or more, and driving without current registration. The second two charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

"We were aware of the situation at the time and took it very seriously. Jayson was forthright with our minor league staff about exactly what occurred," the Mariners told Janes through a spokesperson. "We encourage all of our players to cooperate fully with the proper authorities, which is what Jayson did. This was an off-field incident that was handled in the legal system. All of our decisions regarding Jayson’s playing status were based on on-field information."

Werth never made it to the big leagues with the Mariners, appearing in 36 games with their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma before announcing his retirement.

The veteran played for four different teams at the major-league level during his 15-year career, including seven with the Nationals. He was inducted into the Nationals Ring of Honor at the beginning of September.

Werth posted a .267/.360/.455 career slash line with 229 home runs and 799 RBIs.