Former Minnesota Twins reliever Sam Dyson is facing public accusations of physical and mental abuse, with his girlfriend claiming in an Instagram post that he has abused both her and their cat, according to a story first reported by The Big Lead.
Dyson, 31, is not named in the post, which is allegedly written by his girlfriend Alexis Elizabeth, who controls their cat Snuckles’ Instagram page.
It should be noted that a 2017 story from MLB.com identified both Dyson’s cat, Snuckles, and his girlfriend, Alexis. The feature story heralded Dyson’s relationship with Snuckles to the point that the cat attained celebrity status as Dyson pitched for the San Francisco Giants. Snuckles now has more than 5,500 followers on Instagram.
The report alleging abuse by Dyson notes that Snuckles’ Instagram post, written by Elizabeth from the cat’s perspective, alleges “getting hurt,” being “scared of yelling,” and mentions “things being hurled at mom at me.”
“Mom has put up with a lot and some people won’t believe her and that’s okay. This isn’t about believing a person or situation. This is about safety at this point. Mom took me to grandmas for good because unlike my previous “safe space,” GRANDMAS is a safe space. I don’t have to worry about getting hurt because of anger or control. I don’t have to be scared of yelling and things being hurled at mom and me. I don’t have to be scared anymore.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5VGhM4J0Y_
Major League Baseball confirmed to KNBR that it is looking into the post. The league has suspended players previously after domestic allegations were made on social media.
In 2017, former catcher Derek Norris was suspended after MLB launched an investigation when Norris’ then-fiancee posted to Instagram accusing him of physical and mental abuse.
Dyson was acquired by the Twins at the July 31 trade deadline, but his season ended with shoulder surgery in September and he is expected to miss the entire 2020 season. After being outrighted in early November, Dyson rejected a minor league assignment and became a free agent.
Dyson has not yet commented publicly on the allegations.
