OAKLAND, Calif. — Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon said he could not discuss an altercation with an Oakland Athletics fan on opening night that was captured on video and circulated widely on social media.
Major League Baseball confirmed it is looking into the incident, while the Oakland Police Department stated it was investigating a battery at the Oakland Coliseum captured on surveillance video. OPD has not confirmed Rendon was involved in the incident under review.
"It's an ongoing investigation, so unfortunately I can't comment," Rendon said.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian and manager Phil Nevin also declined to comment on the incident Saturday morning because of the investigation.
MLB handles all player discipline and will ultimately determine whether Rendon faces a suspension.
Rendon is in the lineup for Saturday's game against Oakland, the second of their season-opening series, and is slated to bat fourth.
Rendon was caught on multiple videos grabbing a fan's shirt at Oakland Coliseum after Thursday's game.
In one video he could be heard asking the A's fan, "What did you say? ... Yeah, you called me a b----, huh?" The fan repeatedly shook his head while his chest was pinned against the stadium railing as Rendon kept pulling his shirt, saying, "It wasn't me." Rendon responded, "Yeah, you did" several times before releasing the shirt, freeing the fan to pull back from the railing as Rendon took an open-handed swipe at the bill of the fan's hat and said, "Get the f--- out of here."
