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Trevor Bauer has had his administrative leave extended, which leaves him out of contention to make a return before the end of the current baseball season. Bauer’s continued leave of absence was not unexpected but it was officially confirmed on Friday, with the MLB and MLB Players Association agreeing to extend the player’s absence through the remainder of the season, according to ESPN, who cites sources.
Bauer stands accused of sexual assault by a San Diego woman who made claims of the player choking her on several occasions, sodomizing her without her permission and punching her all over her body during two sexual encounters at his residence in Pasadena, California on April 22 and May 16. She claims the second encounter left her needing medical attention and that, while the proceedings were initially consensual and she agreed to choking, Bauer took things too far.
The accusations were made as part of a request for a temporary restraining order. Another request for a permanent restraining order has been rebuffed by a judge as it was determined that Bauer does not pose a continual threat.
Bauer has been away from the Los Angeles Dodgers since the league started a separate investigation on July 2 and he will remain on leave for the remainder of September, as well as October. The MLB is not expected to make a decision where it pertains to a potential suspension until the offseason, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
“Today Mr. Bauer agreed to extend his administrative leave through the playoffs in a measure of good faith and in an effort to minimize any distraction to the Dodgers organization and his teammates. He continues to cooperate with the MLB investigation and refute the baseless allegations against him,” the player’s co-agents Jon Fetterold and Rachel Luba wrote as part of a statement.
The L.A County Superior Court judge who denied the request for a permanent restraining order also ruled that the woman’s injuries did not result from anything she had verbally objected to before or after the encounters.
The District Attorney’s office has received the findings of an investigation spanning over three months that was conducted by the Pasadena Police Department and will decide on whether or not Bauer will be prosecuted.
The player’s leave had been extended eight times prior to Friday by periods of seven and 13 days. The current extension is longer mostly due to there not being sufficient time on the calendar for him to return to the pitch while the DA’s office isn’t expected to make a decision anytime soon. As it stands, no new information has been presented.
Bauer also did not testify during the four-day hearing in August and is unlikely to have had conversations with league officials on the matter. The MLB, though, would want to speak to the pitcher before deciding on whether or not he should be handed a suspension.
Last month, the Washington Post put out a story bearing claims of an Ohio woman accusing Bauer of punching and choking her during intercourse throughout a relationship that lasted for four years, adding that she filed a restraining order petition last summer before withdrawing it six weeks later. Bauer’s lawyers dismissed the allegations as “categorically false” while also denying the more pertinent ones.
Asked whether Bauer will ever pitch for the Dodgers again, the team’s general manager, Dave Roberts, said he was unsure.
“I have no idea,” he stated. “I’m just kind of focusing on the guys in the room.”
“I don’t think it’s changed anything from how we’ve gone about it,” he said, replying to a question on what a ruling could mean for the team. “That’s more on the legal side. So I think for us, just focusing on the baseball side, it hasn’t really affected the guys in the clubhouse.”
The Dodgers are still the favorites for the World Series, as far as the MLB picks are concerned, in spite of losing their top pitcher.
Bauer happens to be the highest-paid player in baseball right now after signing a three-year deal to the tune of $103 million in February. The contract will net him nearly $40 million in 2021 and includes two player options.
He won the National League Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds last year and went 8-5 with an ERA of 2.59 and 137 strikeouts in 17 starts before he was sent on leave. The development prompted the Dodgers to trade for Max Scherzer, who has come in from the Washington Nationals and has been quite the revelation in a Los Angeles uniform. Scherzer has an ERA of 1.05 in seven starts since making the move and is part of a rotation that includes Julio Urias, Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw is on the injured list but is expected back on Monday.
Bauer, meanwhile, will continue to be paid while on administrative leave and can still make up to $47 million next year as he’s guaranteed $32 million in salary and has a $15 million opt-out for 2023, unless, of course, he gets suspended.
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