Rangers Relief Pitcher Jeremy Jeffress Relieved Himself, On Himself, During DWI Arrest

Jeremy Jeffress did not make an appearance in the Rangers 9-0 win over the Indians on Thursday, but he had a long night nonetheless.

Early Friday morning, Dallas police stopped the right-handed reliever in Uptown after he made a lane change without signaling in the 2500 block of Maple Avenue. Jeffress, according to an arrest warrant, had the smell of alcohol on his breath and glassy eyes. He was also slurring his speech, police say.

During a field sobriety test, Jeffress could not walk in straight line or stand one leg. He also urinated on himself, police say.

Jeffress took a breathalyzer test and blew .115 estimated blood alcohol level after having, he told police, three or four regular sized cups of Hennessy cognac and Coca-Cola in about an hour at Sisu. Jeffress refused a blood test and urinated on himself again while being searched before being arrested.

After police got a warrant for Jeffress' blood and took three vials from the pitcher just before 5 a.m. Friday, he was booked into Dallas County Jail for DWI. Police searched Jeffress' impounded black Mercedes and founded a plastic bag in the glove box filled with a leafy green substance believed to be marijuana or a synthetic cannabinoid.

Jeffress and a female passenger who was in the car at the time of the traffic stop both denied that the baggie was theirs. Jeffress told police a bunch of people had been in his car Thursday. The baseball player wasn't charged with possession because the baggie couldn't be linked to him definitively, police said, but he was tested for marijuana at the jail. He made bail just before noon.

Jeffress was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers along with catcher Jonathan Lucroy at the trade deadline. While playing in the minor leagues in 2007, Jeffress was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for marijuana. Two years later, Jeffress tested positive again and was suspended again, this time for 100 games. Usually, minor league drug policy violations do not count against players under the Major League Joint Drug Agreement, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred would have discretion to suspend Jeffress for longer than a typical first-time offender were Jeffress found to have used marijuana.

Late Friday afternoon, Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels announced that Jeffress would be placed on the restricted list for Friday's game against the Indians and then likely be reactivated Saturday. He'll be allowed to play while Dallas police and Major League Baseball investigations play out, Daniels said.