MLB is investigating hateful social media messages targeted at the 13-year-old nephew of Diamondbacks outfielder Tommy Pham, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports.
“PSA to all fans coming at my nephew on Instagram leave my nephew out of this,” Pham wrote on social media on Monday afternoon. “Your life must suck really bad for you to talk s--- to a 13 year old!!!”
Over the weekend, Pham endured an incident with a Padres fan while the Diamondbacks were playing in San Diego. The outfielder took exception to the fan, who allegedly called Pham a “piece of s---” while he stood in the on-deck circle.
Pham, who played for San Diego during the 2020 and ’21 seasons, criticized some Padres fans for their treatment of him.
“Fans here, man, I just don’t get it. Not even at the field, even away from the field, it’s just completely disrespectful,” Pham said.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo defended Pham, saying San Diego fans have been “awful to Tommy.”
“It’s deeper,” Lovullo said. “It’s ugly, and I’ve been uncomfortable with it from my vantage point.”
Additionally, Mets owner Steve Cohen, who saw Pham play for his team for the first half of this season, also stood by Pham, saying he is a “great guy and a terrific teammate.”
