Trevor Bauer has announced that he will be pitching for the Mexican team Diablos Rojos in their upcoming exhibition game against the New York Yankees on Sunday. The 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner is making a comeback to Major League Baseball after a three-year hiatus, which was prompted by a lengthy suspension by MLB and his subsequent release from the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of sexual assault.
Bauer, 33, revealed his plans to pitch for Diablos Rojos in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. He has committed to pitching five games for the team from April 11 to May 8 as a way to stay in game shape and be ready to join an MLB rotation at short notice.
The exhibition game between the Yankees and Diablos Rojos will take place at Mexico City’s Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium, with a pair of split-squad games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Since being placed on administrative leave by MLB in July 2021 due to assault allegations, Bauer has not played in the majors. Despite denying the accusations and having no charges filed against him by prosecutors, he was suspended for 194 games by an independent arbitrator in December 2022. Following the suspension, the Dodgers released him, and he remained unsigned by any MLB team.
During his time away from MLB, Bauer pitched in Japan and also participated in a game for an independent team this spring. Throughout his career, he has amassed an 83-69 record and a 3.79 ERA in 222 appearances for various teams, including Arizona, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and the Dodgers. Bauer's standout season came in 2020 when he won the Cy Young Award with the Reds, posting a 5-4 record and a remarkable 1.73 ERA in the shortened season.
