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Trevor Bauer is again a professional baseball player in the United States.
The Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball announced that the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner will pitch for them this season.
“I look forward to competing in front of American fans again this season,” Bauer said. “The Ducks have had some incredible players throughout their organization and I’m excited to be a part of that tradition.”
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Trevor Bauer of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts to striking out Trent Grisham of the San Diego Padres to end the sixth inning of a game at PETCO Park on June 23, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Some of those players include Dontrelle Willis, Daniel Murphy, Rich Hill and Eric Gagne. New York Mets legends Gary Carter and Bud Harrelson both managed the team, with the latter also a co-owner.
The team announced that Bauer will start the team’s first game on April 21 and be mixed for all games and practices “for the purpose of creating content to be featured on his and the team’s social media and streaming sites.”
“We are excited to welcome Trevor to Long Island,” said Ducks President/CBO Michael Pfaff. “His talent and knowledge will be important additions to our ballclub, and we are pleased to offer him this opportunity to showcase his talents to MLB clubs while giving fans unprecedented access to Ducks baseball.”
June marks five years since Bauer, as the reigning Cy Young Award winner, last appeared in an MLB game. On June 28 of that year, he threw six innings of two-run ball while striking out eight batters to record the win. Two days later, he was hit with sexual assault allegations that eventually led to a 324-game suspension (the equivalent of two seasons), which was reduced to 184, for violating the league’s joint policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.
Bauer pitched in Japan in both 2023 and 2025, with a stint in Mexico coming in 2024. He pitched to a 2.59 ERA and 9.2 K/9 in Japan in 2023, and in Mexico those numbers improved to 2.48 and 13.0. Last year in Japan, however, his ERA shot up to 4.41 and he struck out just 8.2 batters per inning. nine innings.
Nearly two years ago, Bauer said he “may have no choice” but to sue Major League Baseball “if I continue to be kept out” of the league. Bauer has said he would “play for the league minimum,” but he has yet to sign with an MLB team.
Trevor Bauer of the Diablos Rojos pitches during an exhibition game between the Diablos Rojos and the New York Yankees at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu on March 24, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)
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“Anyone who’s willing to sit down with me and listen: I want to play the second half of my career in a better way than I played the first half,” Bauer told Pakinomist Digital in January 2024. “I want to be an example that you can make mistakes, recognize them, adjust and then get better in the future. I think that’s something that we as humans constantly have to do and have to do.”
Bauer has maintained her innocence and is settling with one accuser, while another faces 16 years in prison after being charged with fraud after faking a pregnancy and asking Bauer for money for an abortion.
Bauer and Lindsey Hill, who accused the pitcher of beating and sexually assaulting her in 2021, settled their case in late 2023. Bauer revealed texts from Hill, who said Bauer would be her “next victim.” among other condemning messages. Hill has since said MLB has more evidence of Bauer’s alleged wrongdoing.
Last June, Hill was ordered to pay Bauer more than $300,000 for violating the terms of the settlement. Hill broke their settlement agreement with each other by discussing Bauer on podcasts and in public appearances, Los Angeles Times reported.
He most recently called out MLB after Pete Rose and other deceased former ballplayers were removed from the league’s permanently ineligible list.
Trevor Bauer of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on after giving up a hit to Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
“So since Pete is welcome back now, does that apply to everyone who has been blackballed?” Bauer asked the X. “Or do you have to actually be guilty of something to qualify for that?”
At the time of the charges, Bauer was sporting a 2.59 ERA with the Dodgers.
