Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not face criminal charges on allegations of sexual assault, but his baseball future remains decidedly cloudy.
The 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner remains on administrative leave -- through at least April 16, according to a Thursday report -- amid a league investigation into claims made by a woman who said Bauer injured her during rough sex that began as consensual.
On Thursday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about Bauer's situation during a media appearance.
Roberts, speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, confirmed he is proceeding as if Bauer is out for at least the beginning of the season.
"I guess the line is, I'm just going to focus on the guys that are in camp, and until I know more -- until he's with us -- I just can't comment, because I just don't know enough information. But I'm sure as time goes on, we'll know more."
"So, right now, you're planning to start 2022 and go for however long without Bauer?"
"Yessir," Roberts answered.
Instead, veteran ace Clayton Kershaw will take Bauer's place in the rotation, Roberts added.
Bauer, though his representatives, said he is looking forward to the issue being settled:
Mr. Bauer is cooperating with the MLB investigation and looks forward to resolving this matter. He continues to prepare for the 2022 MLB season.
Administrative leave is not a disciplinary action nor does it in any way reflect a finding in the league’s investigation.
Bauer, 31, hasn't pitched since late June 2021, when the league moved to sideline him after a California judge granted his accuser a temporary ex parte restraining order.
The court later denied the woman's petition for a long-term restraining order, and prosecutors in Los Angeles County declined to bring charges against Bauer.
The former Diamondbacks, Guardians and Reds pitcher could still face punishment under the league's personal conduct policy, however, though the time frame for when that could be announced and for how long he could be ruled out was unclear.
Bauer, who signed a three-year, $102 million deal with the Dodgers prior to last season, was paid the entirety of his salary in 2021, and presumably will be again in '22.
Correction: A previous version of this story, citing a tweet from The Rich Eisen Show, said Roberts had confirmed Bauer might never return to the Dodgers.
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