The controversial Trevor Bauer, after spending his last few months with extended stays on administrative leave, finally knows the punishment MLB has for him after being involved in an ugly sexual assault case.
The league decided to suspend the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher for two years.
The suspension, therefore, will last 324 games, which means he won’t be back on an MLB mound in a while.
Bauer will have the opportunity to appeal the league’s decision, but his chances don’t look overly promising.
The player maintains his innocence.
One burning question about Bauer’s suspension is whether the games he already missed while on administrative leave count.
The answer is simple: they aren’t added up to his suspension: the first game that counts will be today, April 29, 2022.
“The 324 game suspension for Bauer starts today. There is no credit for administration leave as it’s not disciplinary,” The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli tweeted on Friday.
The 324 game suspension for Bauer starts today. There is no credit for administration leave as it’s not disciplinary.
— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) April 29, 2022
Bauer Will Be Out Until 2024
As things currently stand, Bauer won’t be back until at least 2024, if the league doesn’t decide to reduce his suspension.
Again, Bauer’s chances aren’t too promising because of the nature of the allegations.
The fact that the legal system didn’t find enough evidence to seek additional charges or convict him doesn’t mean that the league can’t conduct its own investigation.
In this case, that’s exactly what happened: the league investigators clearly didn’t like what they heard or found, and as a result, the pitcher is getting a severe punishment.
Bauer has a career 3.79 ERA, but had really taken it up a notch since 2018, when he had a 2.21 ERA with the Cleveland Guardians.
He had a 2.59 ERA last year with the Dodgers before he started to face the legal issues.
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