MLB Threatened to Fine Dodgers' Blake Treinen for Writing on Hat

MLB players rarely write anything on the outside of their hats; many fans are just now learning why.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen (49) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning as the name Charlie Kirk is written on his hat at Oracle Park. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

When Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen wrote the name of deceased social media influencer Charlie Kirk on the outside of his hat in September 2025, Major League Baseball regarded it as a less than innocent gesture.

Treinen told the California Post and the Los Angeles Times that he was threatened with a fine.

“I got chastised by the league when I put Charlie [Kirk]’s name on my hat last year, because a man was murdered in cold blood,” Treinen told the Times' Bill Shaikin, “and now these gentlemen who are relievers in San Francisco are getting chastised by the league for putting a Bible verse on their hat. It’s crazy to me.”

MLB rules prohibit players from attaching or displaying personal messages to their playing gear unless they have approval from the commissioner’s office. According to the Post, MLB told Treinen he could be fined for putting any message on his uniform again.

The topic generated buzz in the wake of actions by three Giants pitchers who wrote a Bible verse on the outside of their hats on the occasion of Pride Night at Oracle Park.

MLB's warnings to Treinen and the Giants pitchers amount to a slap on the wrist, if that. Yet they managed to draw the attention from Washington D.C.

The Justice Department announced last week that it would open an investigation into whether MLB engaged in religious discrimination when it issued warnings to the Giants players.

In theory, Treinen's hat was unlikely to draw the same attention from Washington. He wrote Kirk's name followed by a cross — not a Bible verse — and the occasion had nothing to do with a celebration of LGBTQ+ fans.

In practice, both athletes and lawmakers have used highly visible sporting events to score political points in the past, so who knows.

Treinen's support for the Giants pitchers is unsurprising given his own stance toward Pride Night. Unlike his teammates, Treinen did not wear the Dodgers' team-issued rainbow gradient hat on June 5.

Blake Treinen did not wear a pride colored hat on LGBTQ Pride Night.

The 36 hours that have since passed have been very devisive...

• some people have criticized him.
• some people have praised him.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱? pic.twitter.com/3vSeS4eLoj

— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) June 7, 2026

There's no penalty for that, since players were given the option of wearing either hat. MLB is only concerned with unapproved writing on any part of a uniform. As policies go, this one is relatively toothless. It stopped neither Treinen nor the Giants pitchers, all of whom can afford a potential fine.

Whether or not the Justice Department agrees remains to be seen.

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