Trevor Bauers second chance nearly here with Long Island Ducks

It’s all about second chances when Trevor Bauer tugs on a Long Island Ducks jersey on opening night. After years of playing in Mexico and Japan, the polarizing “outcast” 2020 Cy Young winner returns to the mound in America for the first time since his bombshell 194-game MLB suspension in 2022 over sexual assault allegations, which the former Dodger has vehemently denied and was never criminally charged for.“I don’t really think about image rehabilitation, because I think I have a fine image with the fans, baseball players, coaches, front offices, all that stuff,” he told reporters Saturday.“My image is what it is.I don’t control my image.”The highly anticipated outing will be Tuesday when the independent Atlantic League Professional Baseball team opens at home against the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars — and fan response has been “outstanding,” according to Ducks president Michael Pfaff.“We had a huge increase in ticket sales for opening night,” Pfaff said. “There were a few thousand tickets purchased around his start.” While a member of the Dodgers, Bauer was accused in 2021 of punching and choking a woman during sex, which he previously said was “wholly consensual.” He was initially given a 324-game suspension by MLB in April 2022, which was reduced after an appeal. “I felt like I’m kind of an outcast for a while now,” Bauer admitted.The 35-year-old added that he’s “communicated with all 30 teams” in Major League Baseball, but “there are things that are completely out of my control” regarding a prospective return.  “There’s no question about talent or effectiveness if I were to come back,” said Bauer, who added, “I think I’m a better pitcher in a lot of ways now than I was.” Pfaff is hopeful that playing for the Ducks — a team that previously signed divisive pitcher John Rocker, among other star-caliber talents like Daniel Murphy — will be a pivotal step in Bauer’s redemption arc.“This leagu...