The administrative leave for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has again been extended by a week through Aug. 20 — his fifth extension — a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday.
A civil hearing for the temporary restraining order that was obtained against Bauer is scheduled for Aug. 16-19 in L.A. Superior Court. The hearing was twice granted a continuance at the request of Bauer’s legal team.
MLB can unilaterally place a player on administrative leave for up to seven days under a joint domestic violence policy, but it must obtain consent by the MLB Players Association thereafter. Bauer hasn’t been with the Dodgers since initially being placed on leave July 2.
Bauer, 30, has been accused by a woman of choking her until she lost consciousness on multiple occasions, punching her in several areas of her body and leaving her with injuries that required hospitalization over the course of two sexual encounters earlier this year, according to a domestic violence restraining order that was filed in L.A. County Superior Court on June 28, copies of which were obtained by ESPN.
The temporary restraining order was executed ex parte, which can be attained without input from the other party. Bauer’s side has strongly denied the allegations of sexual assault, calling the interactions between him and the woman “wholly consensual” and saying in a prior statement that Bauer “vehemently denies her account of their two meetings.”
The initial hearing to decide whether the temporary restraining order would become permanent took place July 23 and was delayed an additional six business days after Bauer’s attorneys requested more time to prepare a defense against witnesses and exhibits they claimed to not have received until the night before the hearing. A continuance was obtained once again on July 29.
Bauer attended the initial hearing, as did the woman. Bauer’s legal team told the judge that it has advised him not to testify, given the ongoing investigation, but the petitioner’s side stated that he must nonetheless take the stand, even if he invokes his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions. Both sides will call a total of up to 10 witnesses.
Bauer, the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner, joined the Dodgers in February with a record-setting three-year, $102 million contract that includes two opt-out clauses.
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.