Trevor Bauer recently came the closest he has ever been to an MLB return. He signed a contract with the Long Island Ducks and started dealing in the Atlantic League. Then Wednesday happened in Arizona.

“Trevor luckily avoided serious injury here. His car, not so much,” Ducks president Michael Pfaff shared via X.

Another driver T-boned Bauer’s black McLaren, leaving the sports car heavily mangled. The photos and videos showed scattered debris and police cars all around the accident spot. While Bauer was seen unhurt and cooperating with the first responders inspecting the totaled vehicle, it seemed the driver’s side of the car had taken the major hit.

According to TMZ, first responders confirmed that Bauer was not at fault.

He was driving the 45 mph speed limit when another driver tried to enter the roadway and smashed into him. An image shared by Bauer himself showed his damaged McLaren along with the other vehicle, and it seemed Bauer’s car smashed through glass inside a building following the collision.

Fortunately, no serious injury or fatality was reported, and no one was taken to the hospital.

“Yesterday, if you told me a semi truck would total my McLaren, I would’ve believed you,” Bauer added. “If you told me it would happen on the [highway], I would’ve believed you. If you told me I’d walk away from it without even a scratch, I’d call you insane.”

Even back in 2019, a semi-truck crashed into his parked McLaren. It was severely damaged at a dealership when a rogue semi-truck tire flew off a highway and crashed into the lot.

Bauer is currently in IL for back spasms. As of now, the Ducks have not announced a return date.

“Trevor is on the injured list and was receiving treatment for back spasms in Arizona (where he lives and his facility is) when he got into the accident today,” the Ducks said in a statement. “We spoke a little while ago, and thankfully, he is OK.”

This incident again took the spotlight on Trevor Bauer’s turbulent career.

He was one of the best pitchers coming out of the MLB. In 2020, he won the NL Cy Young award for posting a 1.73 ERA season with the Cincinnati Reds. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed a three-year, $102 million contract with Bauer, but all came to a sudden halt in 2021 when Bauer faced severe sexual assault allegations.

MLB handed him a 324-game suspension that an arbitrator later reduced to 194 games.

He was never charged with a crime, and reportedly, a few of his accusers later got in trouble for lying or breaking legal deals. Even so, the endless drama made MLB teams want nothing to do with him. Bauer never returned to MLB again.

All these years, he played in the Mexican league and NPB, and remained hopeful about his MLB return.

“I could put up a 0.00 ERA and strike out more people than Mason Miller, and it wouldn’t change anything,” Bauer expressed in April.

He finally returned to the US shore and signed with the Ducks the same month.

This season, Bauer has had a 4-1 record, a seven-inning no-hitter, and a 2.43 ERA with the Ducks. But is that enough for another MLB stint? Trevor Bauer is hopeful.

Trevor Bauer could be the next Max Scherzer

At 41, Max Scherzer is continuing his MLB career as a starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has shown he still has plenty of gas in the tank, maintaining an average fastball velocity around 93-94 mph. In the 2025 World Series, he finished with a 1-0 record, a 4.15 ERA, and 6 strikeouts over 8.2 innings pitched.

Justin Verlander, too, is playing at 43, having signed a one-year contract to return to where his career started, the Detroit Tigers.

So, there’s no reason for Trevor Bauer not to get a chance at 35. But it can happen only if he clears the air with MLB.

“I think he needs to clear up the issues with MLB first before he gets to this level. One thing with Trevor Bauer was that he went against MLB, and you can’t go against the hands that really feed you,” Albert Pujols noted.

Reportedly, Bauer has been blackballed by MLB, and every time he comes closer to a deal, the franchises drop the idea. The former NL Cy Young winner has found a “pattern” in the same. In fact, in 2024, he had revealed that teams told him it was not their decision to sign Bauer, but the league’s.

“One team told me I was ‘too expensive’ even though I offered to play for minimum, another team told us they have covered some stuff up in the past that they don’t want the media digging into to find out about…,” Trevor’s post read back in August 2024.

“I had an opportunity to play with him with the Dodgers. Who doesn’t want to have Trevor Bauer on their team? Of course,” Pujols continued.

Bauer’s current 2.43 ERA with the Ducks proves that he still could take the beatings in MLB. He has become the first pitcher in his current franchise’s history to strike out 15 batters in a single game.

With teams like the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs looking for a reliable arm due to their battered rotation, Bauer could be a good upgrade.

“I’m looking forward to competing in front of U.S. fans again this season,” Bauer exclaimed after signing with the Ducks.