The Los Angeles Dodgers are distancing themselves from Trevor Bauer amid his assault investigation.
Bauer has been accused of assaulting a woman with whom he had two sexual encounters. The woman was granted an ex parte restraining order, and Bauer will have his opportunity to respond on July 23. His case is currently being investigated by police in Pasadena, Calif.
Last week, MLB placed Bauer in 7-day administrative leave while they investigate the allegations. In the meantime, the Dodgers have distanced themselves from the prized free agent pitcher.
The team removed a planned Bauer bobblehead giveaway from their promotions schedule. The bobblehead promotion was scheduled for Aug. 19 vs. the Mets. They also removed Bauer merchandise from their team and online store.
The Dodgers said it “did not feel it was appropriate” to stage the bobblehead night and sell the merchandise “while investigations continue by Major League Baseball and the Pasadena Police Department.”
It’s important to note that this move by the Dodgers is not indicative of which way they think the legal investigation will go. Rather, this is what they deem to be an appropriate public relations strategy for handling the situation. The Dodgers recognize the severity of the allegations and the poor optics of promoting merchandise related to a player facing such allegations.
The woman claims the encounters began as consensual before going beyond what she consented to. She sought medical attention for injuries she suffered following their second encounter, which was on May 15. You can read her allegations here.
Bauer says the woman sought rough sex from him and that everything was consensual. His legal team provided Larry Brown Sports with text message conversations that Bauer and the woman allegedly shared between their two encounters.
