Ex-Dodgers SP Trevor Bauer Comments on Minor-League Debut with Yokohama in Japan

Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Trevor Bauer was satisfied after making his competitive return to the mound Sunday.

He threw four shutout innings with six strikeouts for the Yokohama BayStars' affiliate in Japan's Eastern League.

"I thought the day went really well," Bauer told reporters. "The stuff was good, the command was good, the health was good. I feel like I'm ready to compete now, but I have to build my pitch count."

The 2020 National League Cy Young winner signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the BayStars in March, a step that could potentially put him closer to an MLB comeback.

Bauer hasn't pitched in an MLB game since June 2021, when The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang detailed sexual assault allegations that had been leveled against him in a filing for a domestic violence restraining order.

The right-hander spent the remainder of the 2021 season on administrative leave, and MLB suspended him for 324 games in April 2022. In December, an arbitrator lowered the suspension to 194 games, which paved the way for his reinstatement into MLB.

The Dodgers announced in January they were releasing Bauer with one year remaining on his three-year, $102 million contract.