Spurred by Julio Lugo's arrest for misdemeanor assault, Houston made several roster changes this week. The Astros first designated Lugo for assignment and then called up Dave Matranga to replace him on the roster as they needed to promote someone not already on the 40-man. A day later Houston returned Matranga to the minors and called up Adam Everett.

The charges against Lugo stem from an incident in which he allegedly hit his wife Mabel in the face while they were driving to the stadium, and then slammed her head against the hood of their car prior to Wednesday's game at Minute Maid Park. The Houston Chronicle provides a more complete description based on Mabel's report to the police. After the game, authorities were waiting to take Lugo into custody, where they held him overnight until Octavio Dotel reportedly helped him post bond. His wife obtained a protective court order against him after the episode and filed for divorce yesterday.

I want to support the idea of a baseball team taking a more proactive stance in this area, particularly since we've seen several organizations barely acknowledge similar problems. However, I have a problem with the way the Astros handled this matter.

While I can't say I'm inclined to believe Lugo's denials of the incident, I admit I'm approaching the situation from a position that could easily be described as ill-informed and biased. I think most people tend to believe a woman who claims abuse, especially when she has bruises. Nevertheless, some women have motive to lie about such abuse. Reports vary as to whether the couple merely were experiencing minor difficulties in their marriage or if they were separated, but divorce appears to have been a consideration before the alleged attack. Even if Lugo isn't convicted of the crime with which he's charged, Mabel Lugo will have a much stronger case in divorce court and at any child custody hearing. Julio has been vocal in his desire to see his 3 ½ month old son, Josmael.

As Lugo's employer, the Astros should have investigated the situation before taking this kind of action. When a team designates a player for assignment, they have 10 days in which to decide whether to send him to the minors, trade him, or release him, though he'll need to pass through waivers in all cases. However, Houston made it clear that Lugo will either be traded or released. Lugo will receive his full salary in either case, but Houston's reaction has definitely brought extra attention to this matter, which will make Lugo's conduct an issue when he seeks employment in the future. Consequently, I think GM Gerry Hunsicker was quite naïve when he made the comment, as quoted in the Houston Chronicle that "This is in no way an effort to prejudge Julio in this situation or take sides. This is merely a facet among others, including baseball performance, that was taken into this decision."

Hunsicker's sentiment in the second half of that statement leads me to my next complaint regarding Houston's handling of this matter. The organization can either vaunt their morality on this issue or they can choose to say that it was merely a factor in the larger scheme of things.

From my perspective, Houston seems to have made the move to avoid the negative publicity of keeping him on the team because Lugo had not provided sufficient production on the field to make it worthwhile for the Astros to weather the storm. MLB.com writer Alyson Footer quotes Hunsicker as saying, "These moves today were a result of a lot of different things and not solely the incident that happened last night. But the incident that did happen last night created some difficulties for both Julio and for our organization. . . This is very difficult situation for the player to work through as well as the organization. Tremendous pressure, tremendous scrutiny."

That statement does not seem in line with the sentiment expressed in the Astros' press release, which reads

"The Astros organization is acutely aware of the issues surrounding domestic violence and we completely support the steps necessary to deal with it. We disapprove of any violence - it is unacceptable. We are a family with family values. The Astros family represents honesty, integrity and family values. We have no tolerance or acceptance for anything outside those values."

The press release goes on to discuss the team's charitable involvement with the Houston Area Women's Center. However, I doubt the Center would appreciate remarks from Houston Owner Drayton McLane, quoted in an AP article as saying, "I will help him if I can, but this is a situation that he needs time to resolve. Some couples have gone through situations like this and become stronger. If you've ever talked to him about his baby, you know what family means to him. Hopefully this can get resolved."

At least Jeff Kent's position is clear when the AP quotes him as saying, "I don't think we should turn our back on this kid because of an alleged mistake that we don't know happened. We don't know what happened or might have happened. I just told the guys that if (Lugo) needed anything to give me a call." McLane seems to have acted on the belief that Mrs. Lugo's accusations are truthful while still advocating reconciliation between the couple, two sentiments that are unbelievably incongruent and irresponsible.

Tomorrow, I'll review the transactions mentioned above in a more traditional context while also looking at some other Houston moves.