A pitcher for the San Diego Padres was arrested Sunday after he tried to climb through a doggy door of a home in Peoria, Ariz., and was kicked in the face and tased, according to the authorities.
The player, Jacob Nix, 23, was charged with two counts of criminal trespassing, according to the Maricopa County courts’ website. Mr. Nix was accompanied by 23-year-old Thomas Cosgrove, a player for a Padres minor league team, the Lake Elsinore Storm, who was charged with one count.
The homeowner was asleep when he observed a light shining in his bedroom at about 3:30 a.m., according to a police report from the Peoria Police Department. He saw Mr. Nix climbing through the doggy door and kicked him, calling out to his wife to get his gun, the report said. Mr. Cosgrove tried to dislodge Mr. Nix from the doggy door. After he did, according to the report, the homeowner reached through the door and struck Mr. Nix with a Taser near his left armpit.
The two fled, but were apprehended a few streets away. Mr. Nix told the police that it was a misunderstanding, that his Uber driver dropped him off at the wrong house, according to the report. He told the police that he was inebriated and that the house where he was residing in Peoria had no pets nor a doggy door.
Mr. Nix and Mr. Cosgrove were released (Mr. Nix on $100 bail).
On Thursday, the Padres said in a statement: “We are aware of the alleged incident involving Jacob Nix last Sunday in Arizona. We take this matter seriously and have been in contact with the commissioner’s office and local authorities. Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we will not have any further comment at this time.”
Mr. Nix was drafted by the Padres in 2015 and played only nine major league games last year and none this season. In March, Mr. Nix was determined to have a strained ligament in his arm and was sidelined for most of the season. On Oct. 4, he was assigned to the Peoria Javelinas, according to Major League Baseball’s website, a fall league team in Peoria, a suburb of Phoenix.
A representative for Mr. Nix and the Padres said neither the team nor Mr. Nix had further comment. A preliminary hearing for Mr. Nix is set for Wednesday.