The Rays promoted Bauers to the major leagues on June 7, 2018, and he made his major league debut the same night. In 52 games for Durham prior to his promotion, he was batting .279 with five home runs and 24 RBIs.[14] He got his first major league hit, a double, on June 9 off of Seattle Mariners pitcher Félix Hernández.[15][16] On June 24, 2018, Bauers hit his first career walk-off, a home run, against Chasen Shreve of the New York Yankees to finish a three-game sweep.[17] Bauers homered in three straight games from July 29 to August 1.[18] On August 23, Bauers scored the walk-off run, beating out a throw to home plate from Royalsfirst basemanRyan O'Hearn to secure a four-game sweep.[19] In 96 games, he hit .201 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs.
In 2021, Bauers struggled to a .190/.277/.280 batting line with two home runs and six RBI in 43 games before being designated for assignment on June 5, 2021.[23]
Seattle Mariners
On June 10, 2021, the Indians traded Bauers to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later or cash (pitching prospect Damon Casetta-Stubbs was sent to the Indians on July 9 as the PTBNL).[24][25] He made his Mariners debut that day, and notched a hit in his first at-bat with the team, a single off of Detroit Tigers starter Tyler Alexander. On September 19, against the Kansas City Royals, Bauers hit a home run with a projected distance of 460 ft – the longest homer by a Mariner since Mike Zunino in 2018, with only Zunino and Nelson Cruz having gone longer as Mariners since the 2015 season.[26] Bauers played in 72 games for the Mariners, hitting .220 with 2 home runs and 13 RBIs. He became a free agent following the season.
Cincinnati Reds
On December 20, 2021, Bauers signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds.[27] Bauers began 2022 with the Triple-A Louisville Bats, hitting .135 with three home runs in 29 games.[28]
New York Yankees
On June 3, 2022, Bauers was traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for cash considerations.[29] He spent the remainder of the year with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, where the Yankees worked with Bauers to change his swing. He hit .226/.352/.406 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI across 32 contests for the RailRiders.[28] He elected free agency following the season on November 10.[30] On December 14, Bauers re–signed with the Yankees on a minor league contract.[31]
Playing in 21 games for Scranton to begin the 2023 season, Bauers hit .304/.488/.797 with nine home runs, 20 RBI, and five stolen bases. On April 29, Bauers had his contract selected to the active roster.[32] He had his first multi-homer game on June 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.[28]
Milwaukee Brewers
On November 17, 2023, the Yankees traded Bauers to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for minor league outfielders Jace Avina and Brian Sánchez.[33] In 116 games for the Brewers in 2024, he slashed .199/.301/.361 with 12 home runs, 43 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. On November 4, Bauers was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A Nashville Sounds, but he rejected the assignment and elected free agency.[34]
On January 6, 2025, Bauers re-signed with the Brewers on a minor league contract.[35]
Personal life
Bauers is married to Lauren and the couple has a daughter.[36]