(670 The Score) The White Sox’s “only option” as right-hander Mike Clevinger is being investigated by MLB following domestic violence allegations against him was to let Clevinger join the team in spring training activities while the probe plays out and to await a decision from the commissioner’s office, general manager Rick Hahn said Wednesday afternoon in Glendale, Arizona.
White Sox pitchers and catchers reported to camp Wednesday, and Clevinger was present. His status had been a mystery since news broke on Jan.
24 of the domestic violence allegations against him. Clevinger hasn’t been placed on administrative leave, a move that MLB has used for other players in troubling situations previously that keeps them away from their team.
Under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy between MLB and the MLB Players Association, the commissioner’s office holds the sole power to discipline players for policy violations unless the league chooses to cede that authority to a club. As it sits now, MLB is continuing its investigation and the White Sox are awaiting the results of that.
“At this point, the White Sox’s options are the same as they have been throughout this process when Mike joined us,” Hahn said in addressing Clevinger’s situation for the first time. “And that is to respect the process and the investigation and let it play out. That is the club’s only option. Obviously, the confidentiality element of the investigation is essential to the success and strength of the policy and one that we’re going to continue to respect.”
Clevinger was accused of domestic violence and child abuse by Olivia Finestead, the mother of his young daughter, the Athletic reported in January. Clevinger choked Finestead in an incident last June, Finestead said. She also alleges that Clevinger slapped her and threw chewing tobacco on their child in a different incident, the Athletic reported. Clevinger also engaged in verbal and emotional abuse, according to Finestead.
Clevinger, 32, played for the Padres in 2022, which is when the investigation began. He joined the White Sox on a one-year, $12-million deal in early December. The White Sox became aware of the allegations against Clevinger after they signed him, the team previously said in a statement.
“It’s a very fair question, the question about the level of due diligence that we do,” Hahn said. “I will say that the confidentiality element to this policy is essential in order to protect not just players but also those who feel aggrieved, to give them the ability to come forward and express that there’s an issue and to allow for an investigation to take place. Part of that confidentiality is that other clubs don’t know about it. There was no way for us to be aware of this incident without someone being in violation of that policy, and no one was. Which again is part of the strength of the policy and it’s how it operates effectively.”
Asked what his reaction was when he found out about the allegations against Clevinger, Hahn responded it was “disappointment.” Hahn acknowledged there were “maturity questions” surrounding Clevinger, including when he upset his Cleveland organization and teammates by flouting COVID-19 protocols during the 2020 season, but Chicago turned up nothing indicating a domestic violence issue.
He also expanded on the organization’s stance on taking chances with troubled players.
“From a due diligence standpoint, we have had some success in past years – I’ve been here now, this is the start of my 23rd season, so I’ve been involved in a lot of background checks, a lot of evaluations of players’ makeup from outside the organization – we have had success at times in the past taking calculated risks on players that had, let’s say, immaturity issues with other organizations, bringing them in here, making them part of our environment and giving them a new opportunity to fulfill their potential,” Hahn said. “We probably don’t have that ring in ’05 without taking chances like that. That said, you try to do everything in your power to uncover everything you can and make a decision based on the risk of what you’re bringing in. And look, that’s a big part of my job, a big part of the front office’s job is managing risk, whether it’s from performance, health, clubhouse fit, off-field issues.
It’s a matter of putting it all in a box and making the best decision you can based on the information available to you at the time. There’s been instances in the recent past where we’ve passed on people because of what we’ve uncovered in background (checks). There’s always means for improving it. But in terms of finding out about this specific incident or anything, there was no indication of anything close to anything that has been alleged in this guy’s background.
“It needs to be clear: Under the terms of this policy, there was no way for us to have known this information about an open investigation dating back to the middle of last year,” Hahn said.
Hahn was also asked if the White Sox would’ve taken Clevinger off their board in free agency if they’d known he was being investigated.
“That’s a hypothetical and not the facts we’re dealing with,” Hahn said.
Clevinger apologized to his White Sox teammates on Wednesday for being a distraction as camp opens, but he didn't address the underlying incident, Hahn said. Asked if he believes Clevinger, Hahn responded, "I'm not the judge or jury in this situation."
When it was pointed out to Hahn that Clevinger could've been more up front with the White Sox and revealed the investigation to them during negotiations in free agency, Hahn replied, "I understand why he didn't."
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