MLB has reinstated Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, effective immediately. Bauer has served 144 of the 324 games of his original suspension.
On Thursday night, Major League Baseball announced that Trevor Bauer’s 324-game suspension had been reduced to 196 games on appeal. Bauer only served 144 games of that suspension, but referee Martin Scheinman ruled he was eligible for reinstatement, effective immediately.
To compensate for this difference, Bauer will be paid from the first 50 games of the regular season.
Here is the statement from MLB:
“Today, the neutral umpire selected by MLB and MLBPA claimed that Trevor Bauer violated Major League Baseball’s Joint Policy on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse.
“After an exhaustive review of the available evidence, the neutral referee upheld a 194-game suspension without pay. As part of the decision, the referee effectively reinstated Mr. Bauer immediately, with lost wages covering the 144 games he was suspended during the 2022 season. de Bauer for the first 50 games of the 2023 season (i.e. the period covering March 30, 2023 to May 23, 2023). While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will respect the neutral umpire’s decision, which upholds the longest active baseball player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence.
“We understand that this process has been difficult for the witnesses involved and we thank them for their participation. Due to the joint program’s collectively negotiated confidentiality provisions, we are unable to provide further details at this time.
MLB reinstates Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer after successful appeal
The Los Angeles Dodgers have until Jan. 6 to decide whether to keep Bauer or release him outright. If they release him, they’ll eat his roughly $25 million salary in 2023, and he could sign with any major league team.
Bauer, of course, hasn’t pitched since June 28, 2021, as he was charged with assault and placed on administrative leave days later. A 27-year-old woman filed a domestic violence restraining order in which she alleged Bauer assaulted her during two sexual encounters in April and May of that year, according to ESPN. The woman accused Bauer of repeatedly choking her unconscious, repeatedly scratching and punching her all over her body, sodomizing her without her consent and leaving her with injuries that warranted a trip to the emergency room after violent sex”.
Bauer and his attorney, Jon Fetterolf, flatly denied the allegations and said the acts were consensual. In a statement following the decision, the Dodgers said, “We have just been made aware of the referee’s decision and will comment as soon as possible.”
More soon.
