Arbitrator Reinstates Trevor Bauer to Major League Baseball

The initial suspension had come after a long investigation by the league into allegations that Bauer had sexually assaulted a woman. Bauer, who joined the Dodgers in 2021 as a free agent, was placed on administrative leave, with pay, on July 2 of that season.

Bauer, 31, has been vocal in his own defense throughout the process and has maintained his innocence against all allegations.

In court filings, a woman said that she initiated contact with Bauer and began a consensual relationship in April 2021, with some agreed-upon rough sex, but that it led to sexual acts that were not consensual. She has also said she was choked with her hair until she lost consciousness.

Bauer’s lawyer had said in a previous statement that his client had messages showing that the woman had asked to be choked and slapped during the encounters.

Two other women made similar accusations in reports by The Washington Post, both of which Bauer denied as well.

Whether or not Bauer will return to the Dodgers will be decided at some point in the next two weeks. He has one more year on a three-year, $102 million contract that he signed with Los Angeles before the 2021 season. Bauer joined the Dodgers after winning the National League’s Cy Young Award with Cincinnati in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/sports/baseball/trevor-bauer-reinstated.html