Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will undergo a brief absence from the team after a viral, but heated, exchange with a fan.
After the Angels concluded their Opening Day loss to the Oakland Athletics, Rendon headed to the visiting team's tunnel alongside Los Angeles teammates, but now without having a testy interaction with a fan. Rendon was captured on video, which surfaced on social media, showing the 32-year-old grabbing the individual's shirt while tossing a few expletives.
"What'd you say? Yeah, you called me (expletive), huh?" Rendon said. "Yeah, you did. Yeah, you did. Yeah, (expletive)."
On Monday, Major League Baseball stepped in and suspended Rendon, initially for five games, and released a statement regarding the altercation:
Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has received a five-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his actions involving a fan last Thursday, when his club played the Oakland Athletics. Michael Hill, Major League Baseball's Senior Vice President for On-Field Operations, made the announcement.
The Angels elected to not play him during their series finale in Oakland on Sunday.
Rendon will begin serving his time Monday when the Angels open a three-game set with the Seattle Mariners. However, Rendon's suspension was reduced to four games as part of a negotiated agreement between the league and the players association, according to Alden González of ESPN.
Rendon, who went 0-for-6 in the series, is in the fourth of his seven-year, $245 million contract agreement with the Angels, signed in 2020.
