TMZ Sports originally reported the accident, and a source close to Bauer confirmed it to Newsday and added some details Wednesday night.
The 35-year-old pitcher was driving when his car was T-boned by another driver trying to enter that roadway. The source relayed that Bauer was “OK” as was the other driver, and that no ambulance had to respond.
The back issue, according to that source, is minor and his stay in Arizona is only expected to last a few days.
Long Island Ducks president Michael Pfaff told Newsday on Thursday that “it’s not unusual” for a player to return home for injury treatment while the Ducks are playing a road series, noting that infielder Austin Dennis is currently doing the same in Florida while on the injured list.
“We are aware Trevor Bauer was in a car accident Wednesday afternoon,” Pfaff said in a statement. “Trevor is currently on the injured list and was receiving treatment for back spasms in Arizona [where he lives and his facility is] when his car was run into by another vehicle.
“We have communicated with Trevor and his camp and are thankful to hear he is OK. He will continue his rehabilitation and there remains no timetable for his return to the field.”
The video of the accident’s aftermath was posted on X by TMZ Sports and then reposted by Ducks president and chief business officer Michael Pfaff with a comment:
“Trevor luckily avoided serious injury here. His car, not so much.”
Trevor luckily avoided serious injury here. His car, not so much. https://t.co/akgqr0GsXv
— Michael Pfaff (@LIDucksPrez) May 20, 2026
The 10-year major-league vet and 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner had been excelling for the Ducks in the Atlantic League until a rocky outing Sunday at Fairfield Properties Ballpark when he allowed five runs and eight hits over five-plus innings in a no-decision against Gastonia. Pfaff told Newsday on Thursday that Bauer called for the trainer when he left Sunday’s game in the sixth inning at a pitch count of 105. He was then seen by a team doctor.
Bauer, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2021 with the Dodgers, is 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA through six starts. Two of those starts stood out in particular, a seven-inning no-hitter at Lancaster on April 26 and a Ducks-record 15-strikeout game in Central Islip against Gastonia last week.
Newsday’s Michael Sicoli contributed to this report.
