Yahoo Sports Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn't expect Trevor Bauer back before All-Star break
Warning: The following article contains graphic allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence.
It's highly unclear when Trevor Bauer will be allowed to return to an MLB field, but it seems it won't be until after the All-Star break.
Facing serious assault allegations, Bauer was placed on paid administrative leave by MLB on Friday. The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher can be kept on leave for up to seven days, but any more time away from the team would require the approval of the MLB Players Association.
When asked if Bauer could make a return on Friday, two days before the Dodgers' final game of the first half, manager Dave Roberts' reaction was blunt:
Roberts previously caught heat for saying the Dodgers planned to still start Bauer after the allegations emerged, but said they were doing so at the recommendation of MLB, who placed Bauer on leave a day later.
Trevor Bauer could be out a while
While Bauer's administrative leave carries a seven-day span, odds are the reigning Cy Young winner will be sidelined for far longer than that.
In the past, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has used an extended administrative leave stint as a precursor for an official suspension several times. Examples include Roberto Osuna, Addison Russell and Domingo German — all players accused of domestic violence, placed on leave for more than seven days (45 days, in Osuna's case) and later suspended for a significant amount of time after a more complete investigation.
On the other hand, Bauer's teammate Julio Urias was reinstated after seven days of administrative leave in 2019 despite a still-pending domestic battery charge, which was later dismissed. Urias eventually received a 20-game suspension.
When Bauer was initially placed on administrative leave, his representatives said in a statement to Yahoo Sports that he would not appeal the decision in order to minimize the distraction for the Dodgers and his teammates. That statement was qualified with "at this time," however, so there could be a point when Bauer starts pushing for a return.
In the meantime, public condemnation against Bauer, long one of the most controversial players in baseball, has flown freely across social media and other areas. That has included among past Dodger greats, as former All-Star Dave Stewart said he was skipping the team's 1981 World Series celebration out of disgust for its handling of the Bauer allegations.
Allegations against Bauer are serious
Bauer remains under investigation by both MLB and the Pasadena Police Department due to assault allegations stemming from two sexual encounters with a woman earlier this year.
The woman was granted a temporary ex parte restraining order last week after alleging, under penalty of perjury, the pitcher had choked her to unconsciousness multiple times, punched her in the head repeatedly and performed anal sex on her without her consent. She reportedly backed up her account with pictures of her face visibly swollen with two black eyes and scratches along the side of her face as well as medical notes observing “significant head and facial trauma.”
Bauer's representatives have countered with screengrabs of text messages sent between the two encounters, in which the woman appears to welcome being choked and slapped in the face, but with no mention of punching or anal sex. His camp claims the text messages were omitted from the woman's filing.
Bauer will be allowed to contest to the allegations at a formal hearing on July 23, something his camp says they plan to do.
A Pasadena police officer also told USA Today that their criminal investigation into the pitcher has recently expanded after receiving new leads:
“We were looking into some things and we thought we were nearing the end,’’ Lt. Carolyn Gordon, who is overseeing the investigation, told USA TODAY Sports on Friday. "We are not close to the end.
"This investigation is bigger than we thought. So we have to look a few more places. We want to try to uncover as much stuff as we can.''
ESPN's Buster Olney has reported MLB intends to speak with both Bauer and the woman directly, and is also delving into Bauer's history to see if there have been other incidents.
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