Dodgers' Trevor Bauer Reinstated After 2-Year Suspension Reduced by Arbitrator

The Dodgers pitcher won his appeal.

The statement from Major League Baseball was shared by Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Bob Nightengale @BNightengale

The official statement by MLB on Trevor Bauer's suspension reduced to 194 games, reinstating him pic.twitter.com/sQs81yHpSn

MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator's decision which upholds baseball's longest ever active player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence.

Bauer was suspended for two full seasons by Major League Baseball. The games he was ineligible to play were not included in the suspension.

The most likely outcome from Bauer's case was a reduced suspension, according to Jeff Passan.

Passan said that usually huge suspensions find some kind of reduction when they are as large as this one. I am not sure if it will be a half-season or a full season. MLB believes it has enough evidence against Bauer to win a case.

Bauer hasn't played in a game in over a year. On May 16th, law enforcement officials in Southern California confirmed they were investigating a right-handed pitcher after a woman accused him of assault.

Jon Fetterolf, Bauer's lawyer, denied the allegations.

Mr. Bauer had a brief and consensual sexual relationship with his accuser. There are messages that show the man's accuser asking for sex. The day after their second and final encounter, his accuser shared photos of herself and said she had sought medical care for a concussion. Mr. Bauer was concerned and confused and his accuser was not angry or accusatory.

Bauer was granted a restraining order against the woman. The application for a permanent restraining order was denied by the LA Superior Court judge.

MLB put Bauer on administrative leave. Administrative leave only lasts for seven days, so the league continued to extend it as it investigated the allegations.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office decided not to prosecute Bauer.

Bauer denied violating MLB's domestic violence and sexual assault policy, after he was suspended.

Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) @BauerOutage

In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy. I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings.

On the same day that Bauer's suspension was announced, another woman spoke out publicly, accusing Bauer of choking her unconscious without her consent, among other things.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported in May that people were unsure if Bauer would ever pitch in MLB again.

One long time baseball person told Heyman that no one would want to stand next to him.

The Dodgers could potentially release Bauer now that the result of his appeal is known, as his contract with the team will end after the 2023 season. He signed a three-year contract with Los Angeles.