Trevor Bauer’s initial 324-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy has been reduced to 194 games by an independent arbitrator, who also reinstated him.
Bauer’s legal representatives and his employer, the Los Angeles Dodgers, were informed of the arbitrator’s decision on Thursday afternoon, ending a seven-month grievance process and bringing some clarity to a saga that has been unfolding for the past year and a half.
Bauer has served only 144 games of the suspension, but arbitrator Martin Scheinman essentially gave him credit for the time he served on MLB’s restricted list in the second half of the 2021 season. Bauer will be docked pay through the first 50 games of the 2023 season but will be officially reinstated on Friday.
The Dodgers then will have 14 days, until Jan. 6, to determine whether to release him or add him to their 40-man roster.
