Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers are aware of a report from TMZ Sports that Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer is being investigated by the Pasadena (Calif.) Police Department after a woman had accused him of assault.
MLB is "looking into" the report, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, and the Dodgers issued a statement Tuesday deferring to the league.
"The Dodgers were made aware of the allegations against Trevor Bauer late this afternoon and immediately contacted Major League Baseball, which will be handling this matter," the Dodgers said in their statement late Tuesday. "The Dodgers take any allegations of this nature very seriously, but will have no further comment at this time."
Marc Garelick, the woman's attorney, told TMZ that his client "sought and obtained an order for protection from the court against Mr. Trevor Bauer, under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act" after she "suffered severe physical and emotional pain" following a "recent assault."
On Wednesday, The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang reported details of the woman's encounters with Bauer, which she says were initially consensual. "I agreed to have consensual sex; however, I did not agree or consent to what he did next. I did not agree to be sexually assaulted," the woman said. The Athletic's report, which includes graphic details from the restraining order, including allegations that Bauer strangled and punched the woman, can be found here.
Bauer's agent, Jon Fetterolf, issued a statement to ESPN's Jeff Passan, saying the relationship was "wholly consensual." Here's part of Fetterolf's statement:
"Mr. Bauer had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [the woman] beginning in April 2021. [...] In the days following their second and final encounter, [the woman] shared photos of herself and indicated that she had sought medical care for a concussion. Mr. Bauer responded with concern and confusion, and [the woman] was neither angry nor accusatory.
Mr. Bauer and [the woman] have not corresponded in over a month and have not seen each other in over six weeks. [...] Any allegations that the pair's encounters were not 100% consensual are baseless, defamatory, and will be refuted to the fullest extent of the law."
MLB has yet to issue a statement of its own. The league's collectively bargained domestic violence policy allows MLB to discipline Bauer even if no criminal charges are filed. Other players have been placed on administrative leave while the legal process plays out.
Bauer won the NL Cy Young Award last season with the Cincinnati Reds. During the offseason, the right-hander signed a three-year deal worth $102 million with the Dodgers in February.
