Some have questioned whether the White Sox will release pitcher Mike Clevinger after The Athletic reported Tuesday that Major League Baseball is investigating allegations of domestic violence and child abuse made by the mother of his youngest child.
League policy prevents the team from disciplining Clevinger now.
Per the MLB and MLBPA’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, the Commissioner’s Office holds the authority to discipline players in violation of the policy. Therefore, the White Sox would not be authorized to discipline Clevinger prior to the completion of the investigation, unless the Commissioner’s Office transferred that authority to the team, according to the policy.
Releasing Clevinger before the completion of the investigation would likely be construed as grounds for a grievance.
The investigation just became public this week, but MLB was first made aware of the claims last summer when Clevinger was playing for the San Diego Padres. The White Sox signed the free agent in December to a one-year, $12 million contract.
There is an emphasis on confidentiality in the MLB investigative process so teams would not be aware of an investigation being opened on Clevinger. The White Sox said they were not aware of these allegations when they signed Clevinger.
Non-disciplinary administrative leave is an option to keep players away from their teams while investigations are ongoing. Such a move is, again, under the purview of the commissioner, and extensions would have to be jointly agreed upon with the MLBPA.
Trevor Bauer, Clevinger’s former teammate, was placed on administrative leave in 2021 in light of allegations emerging mid-season, and the move intervened in a situation where he might have otherwise made a scheduled start. Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna was placed on administrative leave that same season in immediate response to an arrest.
Similarly pressing circumstances are not required for the commissioner to place a player on administrative leave, per a league source not authorized to comment publicly, but that is typically when it has been employed in the past.
It is unclear if administrative leave is a measure the league would take with Clevinger, as the White Sox sit three weeks away from the start of spring training. Such decisions have been handled on a case-by-case basis, although administrative leave would not be implemented before spring training, when no games are being played.
Unless a decision on leave is issued by the league, or the investigation reaches a resolution — resulting in an unpaid suspension or not — the White Sox’s commitment to Clevinger for the year is binding.
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