Editor’s note: This story contains graphic accounts of domestic violence and sexual abuse. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual or domestic violence, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline. 1-800-656-4673 or call the Domestic Violence hotline 1-800-799-7233.
Trevor Bauer’s 324-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy has been reduced to 194 games. Sports IllustratedStephanie Apstein reported Thursday night. MLB later upheld the arbitrator’s decision, adding that he could be reinstated for the 2023 season despite the 144-game suspension.
The pitcher has not played since June 2021. His salary spans from March 30 to May 23 for the first 50 games of the season.
“While we believe a lengthy suspension is warranted, MLB will abide by a neutral arbitrator’s decision that suspended baseball’s longest-serving player for sexual assault and domestic violence,” MLB wrote. in the statement. “We understand that this process has been difficult for the witnesses involved and we appreciate their participation. Due to the confidentiality clause of the joint program, we cannot provide detailed information at this time.
The Dodgers have 14 days to decide whether to keep or release Bauer. He is working on another one-year contract. Team after information tweeted“We have just been informed of the arbitrator’s decision and will comment objectively.”
The pitcher has faced sexual assault allegations since June 2021, after a San Diego woman said she had two encounters with the pitcher. She went into detail about the abusive sex, which she said began as consensual, adding that it left her with various injuries. This includes head and facial injuries. Bauer allegedly rebuffed her and demanded rough sex.
The woman said that in April 2021, Bauer tied her unconscious throat with her own hair and penetrated her anally without her consent. She detailed a similar incident a month later, and last summer began pursuing a restraining order against Bauer under California law (five years). The judge lifted the temporary injunction on August 19, 2021, denying the five-year order, saying the woman was not a future threat.
The woman’s statement was found to be “materially misleading,” and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dianna Gould-Soltman said the only evidence of what happened while the woman was unconscious was that she was “struck in the butt.”
In addition, the judge’s focus on consent was limited to whether the woman consented to gross sexual intercourse with Bauer. “If he had set a limit and he had exceeded that limit, this case would have been clear,” the judge said. “But he set a limit without considering all the consequences [Bauer] The limit set by the applicant is not exceeded. … These are the consequences of the actions he allowed, including strangulation.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided not to file criminal charges against Bauer in February 2022. The league suspended him three months later, and Bauer later appealed.
Per The Washington Post, the league examined two records by other women: one in 2017 and one in ’13. Both women are from Ohio, and the first applied for temporary protection in 2008. It granted; However, after six weeks, he gave it up. The latter woman said Bauer choked her mindless throat without permission during multiple encounters. Bauer has denied both allegations, and authorities have not charged him with either.
The pitcher was placed on administrative leave on July 2, 2021, and MLB announced Thursday that it had conducted an “extensive investigation.” Specific findings had not been made public at the time this story was published.
Bauer and his legal team continue to deny the allegations. Bauer has filed separate lawsuits against at least two media outlets and a San Diego woman who objected to him, alleging battery and sexual assault. In November, a judge denied Bauer’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
