Dodgers' Trevor Bauer Not Expected Back Right Away, Manager Says

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, who was put on administrative leave after facing allegations of sexual assault, is not expected to immediately return to the team, the Dodgers’ manager said Monday.

Though Bauer’s seven-day leave is scheduled to end Friday, manager Dave Roberts suggested viewers won’t be seeing Bauer on the field again any time soon.

“I don’t see it happening,” Roberts told reporters about Bauer, 30, returning on schedule. The manager has deferred to Major League Baseball on the matter, saying last week that Bauer’s position on the team is “out of our hands” and that Dodgers will follow the league’s lead.

The MLB announced last Friday it was putting the the pitcher, who signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers in February, on paid leave after a woman accused him of sexual assault and other abuse. The MLB is conducting an investigation into the allegations and is reportedly seeking to speak with his accuser and uncover any other similar incidents in Bauer’s history.

The MLB acted after a woman came forward accusing Bauer, who lives in Los Angeles County’s Pasadena, of several acts of violence against her, including sexual assault, punching her in the genitals and face and choking her until she lost consciousness. She has obtained a protection order under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, and the Pasadena Police Department is conducting an investigation into the claims.

Bauer, who won the prestigious Cy Young Award last year for being MLB’s best pitcher, has denied the allegations, saying in a statement through his agents that everything that transpired between him and his accuser was consensual.

“Her basis for filing a protection order is nonexistent, fraudulent, and deliberately omits key facts, information, and her own relevant communications,” his co-agent Jon Fetterolf said.