Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer is facing allegations of assault from a woman stemming from a sexual encounter earlier this year.
The Pasadena (California) Police Department said it is investigating the alleged assault, which it says occurred around the middle of May. The case could be turned over to the district attorney's office as soon as Wednesday, a source told ESPN, at which point a decision would be made on whether it will move forward.
The woman was granted a domestic violence restraining order in L.A. County Superior Court against Bauer, according to her attorney, Marc Garelick, who alleged in a statement that his client "suffered severe physical and emotional pain" as a result of a "recent assault" from Bauer.
Garelick issued a statement Tuesday, writing, "Our goal is to keep Mr. Bauer from contacting our client in any way possible. We anticipate there will be criminal action against Mr. Bauer, and it is our hope law enforcement will take our client's allegations and case seriously."
Bauer's agent, Jon Fetterolf, released a lengthy statement to ESPN denying any wrongdoing on behalf of his client. In the statement, Fetterolf described the relationship as "consensual" and called the woman's allegations "baseless" and "defamatory."
ESPN has chosen not to name the woman, though Garelick and Fetterolf used her name in their statements.
"Mr. Bauer had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [the woman] beginning in April 2021," Fetterolf said in the statement. "We have messages that show [the woman] repeatedly asking for 'rough' sexual encounters involving requests to be 'choked out' and slapped in the face. In both of their encounters, [the woman] drove from San Diego to Mr. Bauer's residence in Pasadena, Calif., where she went on to dictate what she wanted from him sexually and he did what was asked."
According to Fetterolf, Bauer and the woman had two encounters, and she continued to message him with "friendly and flirtatious banter." But after their second encounter, Fetterolf said, the woman shared photos of herself and indicated to Bauer that she had "sought medical care for a concussion." Bauer responded with "concern and confusion," Fetterolf said, and the woman was "neither angry nor accusatory."
"Mr. Bauer and [the woman] have not corresponded in over a month and have not seen each other in over six weeks," Fetterolf said in his statement. "Her basis for filing a protection order is nonexistent, fraudulent and deliberately omits key facts, information and her own relevant communications. Any allegations that the pair's encounters were not 100% consensual are baseless, defamatory and will be refuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Major League Baseball has been made aware of the allegations against Bauer and will look into the matter, a source said.
In a statement, the Dodgers said they were "made aware of the allegations against Trevor Bauer late this afternoon and immediately contacted Major League Baseball, which will be handling the matter. The Dodgers take any allegations of this nature very seriously but will have no further comment at this time."
Bauer, the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner with the Cincinnati Reds, signed a three-year, $102 million contract that includes two player options with the Dodgers in February.