Trevor Bauer makes second minor league start in Japan as he ramps up for professional return

Trevor Bauer has not pitched in a professional baseball game since June 28, 2021, so he is making some starts in Japan’s minor leagues before he can make his professional debut overseas.

Bauer allowed one earned on two hits and a walk before exiting a game in the sixth inning after 77 pitches while punching out two.

It’s essentially Bauer’s spring training.

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Trevor Bauer, left, listens to a reporter’s question after a warmup game in Hiratsuka, southwest of Tokyo Saturday, April 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Stephen Wade)

“It’s just about building pitch count right now, making sure that I can pitch a whole game if need be,” Bauer said after the game.

Bauer is in Japan after signing a one-year deal with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. He was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers after serving a suspension for sexual assault allegations. Despite being shunned by Major League Baseball, fans were spotted with his BayStars jersey in his first minor league start.

A fan wearing a shirt with Trevor Bauer’s name and number arrives at a stadium in Yokosuka, Japan, April 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Stephen Wade)

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Bauer has maintained his innocence, saying that all actions with his accuser were consensual, but the Dodgers still released Bauer.

“Two extensive reviews of all the available evidence in this case — one by [MLB] Commissioner [Rob] Manfred and another by a neutral arbitrator — concluded that Mr. Bauer’s actions warranted the longest-ever active player suspension in our sport for violations of this policy. Now that this process has been completed, and after careful consideration, we have decided that he will no longer be part of our organization,” the team said in a statement in February.