Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger is being investigated by Major League Baseball after an allegation of domestic violence.
Olivia Finestead publicly revealed the allegations in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Clevinger, a 32-year-old right-hander and six-year major league veteran, agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract as a free agent that was announced Dec. 4.
“MLB opened an investigation after learning of these allegations,” the team said in a statement. “The White Sox were not aware of the allegations or the investigation at the time of his signing. The White Sox will refrain from comment until MLB’s investigative process has reached its conclusion.”
Jay Reisinger, Clevinger’s attorney, issued a statement saying, “Mike vehemently denies the allegations made by Ms. Finestead.”
“He has never hurt Mrs. Finestead or her daughter,” Reisinger said. “We will not comment on Ms Finestead’s motive for making these false allegations. Her threats and baseless accusations over the past few months have sadly escalated, most recently culminating in deeply disturbing threats towards Mike and Mike’s family. Her threats and the his pattern of abuse. The behavior is well documented. The simple truth is that Mike has done nothing wrong. He is a loving and caring father. We have advised Mike not to comment on this matter.”
Finestead said she is the mother of Clevinger’s child and alleged that he fathered two other children that were not hers. She posted a photo of marks on her body with accompanying words claiming the injuries were “from when she threw an iPad at me pregnant” and “finally left when she strangled me.”
“Mike Clevinger,” she added, “you really deserve hell. I’ve been silent for almost a year and you’re still covertly abusing your baby.” She said Clevinger “threw a spit at our baby.”
The Athletic reported that Finestead told the outlet that he notified MLB of his allegations last summer.
The Associated Press typically does not identify victims of domestic violence or sexual assault unless they agree to be named or go public with their allegations, as Finestead has.
Clevinger is 51-30 with a 3.39 ERA for Cleveland (2016-20) and San Diego (2021-22). He was 0-1 in a pair of Padres postseason starts.
Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was suspended for two seasons by MLB last April under the domestic violence policy following an investigation that began the previous July. An arbitrator reduced the suspension to 194 games last month, and the Dodgers released the 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner. The suspension cost Bauer more than $37 million of his three-year, $102 million contract through the 2023 season.
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