MLB announced on Monday that it has suspended Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon for a physical confrontation with a fan.
MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations Michael Hill made the announcement while noting that the suspension is for Rendon’s “actions involving a fan last Thursday.” The suspension is effective immediately, starting with the Angels’ Monday night game against the Seattle Mariners. Rendon has the option to appeal and would be eligible to play through the appeal process.
The incident took place after the A’s 2-1 win over the Angels in Oakland on Opening Day and was recorded on video. Rendon confronted a fan in the stands as he walked off the field. Video shows Rendon reaching into the stands and grabbing the shirt of the fan before a tense exchange.
(Warning: Video contains obscene language.)
“What’d you say? Yeah, you called me b****, huh?” Rendon said. “Yeah, you did. Yeah, you did. Yeah, motherf***er.”
Rendon swiped at the fan’s face with his left hand, then walked away. He did not make contact with his swipe. It’s not clear what happened prior to the confrontation, and the fan’s response to Rendon was unintelligible. MLB announced at the time that it was investigating the incident.
Rendon played Game 2 of the series on Saturday. He repeatedly declined to address the incident pregame while speaking with reporters, citing MLB’s then-ongoing investigation.
Rendon did not play Game 3 of the series on Sunday.
Rendon, 32, is in his 11th MLB season and his fourth with the Angels. A former All-Star with the Washington Nationals, Rendon’s been limited by injury during his Angels stint, having played 58 games or fewer in each of the last two seasons. He’s slashing .249/.356/.415 with 20 home runs, 90 RBI and two stolen bases in 159 games since joining the Angels during the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season.
