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The Giants are in contact with Major League Baseball about allegations of abuse made by pitcher Sean Hjelle’s wife, Caroline, in a social media post.
Manager Bob Melvin said Hjelle, 28, told him about the situation Friday night. Hjelle is available for Saturday’s day game against the Boston Red Sox.
“Obviously we’re aware of it,” Melvin said. “We talked with MLB, and at this point it’s in their jurisdiction right now so we really can’t comment on it any further.”
Hjelle said he wants to speak with his lawyer and agent before making an official statement.
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“No official comment right now,” Hjelle said. “I feel confident saying I will have one eventually. I don’t have an exact timeline on that, but I would like to actually get with the people who are handling the situation with me and for me before I can actually make an official statement.”
Caroline Hjelle published a TikTok video on Friday with a caption of “When my MLB husband abandons us on Mothers Day a week after this once I finally found about his affairs and stopped putting up with his abuse, so I’ve been raising two boys alone.”
The post also included hashtags #momlife, #mom, #divorce, #cheating, #infidelity, #singlemom, #solomom and #mlb. It has more than 3.5 million views.
Sean and Caroline got married in January of 2021, according to her social media. A court records search in Virginia did not reveal divorce records, but Hjelle said they’re getting a divorce and that the process has been delayed. The pitcher added that the couple “reached an agreement in mediation” last offseason and have been separated since last May.
Hjelle, the 6-foot-11 right-hander, is in his fourth major league season with the Giants. He made his first career start last weekend in Los Angeles when San Francisco traded Kyle Harrison — the scheduled starter — shortly before first pitch.
MLB handles investigations into allegations of abuse after the league and the Players Association created the domestic violence policy in 2015. The commissioner can suspend a player during an ongoing investigation for up to seven days. The commissioner ultimately decides an appropriate punishment, with no minimum or maximum penalty under the policy.
“Players are husbands, fathers, sons, and boyfriends,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement when the policy was announced. “And as such want to set an example that makes clear that there is no place for domestic abuse in our society. We are hopeful that this new comprehensive, collectively-bargained policy will deter future violence, promote victim safety, and serve as a step toward a better understanding of the causes and consequences of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.”
The Giants released a statement on Saturday morning before their game against the Red Sox.
“We are aware of these serious allegations,” the Giants said in the statement. “We have been in contact with MLB. These type of allegations fall under their jurisdiction and we won’t be commenting further.”
This story was updated to reflect Hjelle’s postgame comments.