Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has been handed a five-game suspension, Major League Baseball announced Monday afternoon. He has also been fined an undisclosed amount.
The discipline arises out of an Opening Day incident in Oakland. Rendon got into an argument with an A’s fan, whom he said had called him a “b—.”
Rendon was holding the fan’s shirt through the guardrail during that spat, in which he called the fan a “a motherf—.”
Rendon then swiped towards the fan’s head with his left hand, although it didn’t appear that he made contact on that swing. The All-Star infielder then walked down the dugout.
Video of the incident circulated on Twitter the following day. MLB and the Oakland Police Department both opened investigations.
The OPD hasn’t provided any further update beyond initially noting they’ve created a case file and were “actively investigating” the matter. Rendon and the Angels both declined comment over the weekend.
Rendon has the right to appeal the suspension. It isn’t yet clear whether he’ll do so. If he declines to appeal, he’d begin serving the ban during Monday's game against the Mariners.
Alden González of ESPN reported the news shortly before the league announcement.
More must-reads: