10:16 PM PT -- A rep for Ye tells TMZ ... "'Grabbed' is grossly inadequate as a description of what happened. Bianca was physically assaulted."

They add, "The assailant didn't merely collide into her. He put his hands under her dress, directly on her body, he grabbed her waist, he spun her around, and then he blew her kisses. She was battered and sexually assaulted."

Kanye West might have new legal trouble on his hands -- he's the named suspect in a battery report, and cops are now looking into the claims against him ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... police are investigating Ye after cops say they were told he punched a man in the face late Tuesday night -- but the guy he struck had allegedly pushed or grabbed West's wife, Bianca Censori.

We're told Kanye and Bianca took off after the alleged altercation ... and, the alleged victim did not require treatment for injuries.

We're told police plan on reaching out to Kanye for his side of the story, and will also speak to witnesses.

This isn't the first time Ye's found himself at the center of a battery investigation ... remember, cops looked into a 2023 incident where video showed him grabbing a photog's phone, and throwing it in an intersection. Ultimately, he wasn't charged.

Also, a man sued Ye for assault and battery earlier this year ... claiming the rap star struck him in downtown L.A., back in 2022, after saying "I'm going to make a f***ing example of you."

We've reached out to Kanye's team ... so far, no word back.