MLB News: Dodgers Pitcher Handed Stiff Penalty Over Sexual Assault Allegations

Trevor Bauer will have to wait years before he can take the pitch again.

The 31-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher was suspended without pay for two full seasons by Major League Baseball following the league's investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault allegations made against him, ESPN reported.

Bauer will miss 324 games in total — the harshest punishment meted under the sport's domestic violence policy, according to the outlet.

The 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner released a statement in response, saying that he plans to appeal the MLB suspension. Once he does, Bauer will become the first MLB player to contest punishment under the league’s domestic violence policy.

"In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league's domestic violence and sexual assault policy," Bauer's statement read. "I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives and I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings."

The pitcher was accused of sexual assault by a woman in San Diego, California. The unnamed woman requested a restraining order against Bauer and claimed that he took consensual rough sex too far over the course of two encounters in April and May last year.

Her request for a permanent restraining order was denied by an L.A. judge in August 2021, and the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office declined to file criminal charges in February.

However, this did not spare Bauer from being sanctioned by the MLB, which has the autonomy to suspend players without a criminal conviction. The league spoke to other women who also said they had been assaulted by Bauer.

Hours after Bauer's suspension was announced, another alleged sexual assault victim emerged, accusing the Dodgers pitcher of crossing the line during their years-long sexual relationship.

The new accuser alleged that Bauer choked her unconscious and slapped her in the face without consent between 2013 and 2014, TMZ reported.

The unnamed Columbus, Ohio, woman said that the sex during their relationship was always consensual but claimed that during intercourse, "things happened outside of my consent," according to the Washington Post.

She is the third known woman to accuse Bauer of sexual assault.

Bauer joined the Dodgers in 2021 on a three-year deal worth $102 million. If his suspension is upheld, he would be out until the 19th game of the 2024 season, a point where his contract with the Dodgers will have expired. He stands to lose around $28 million this year and $32 million next year.