Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon won’t be charged for his role in an altercation with a fan on Opening Day, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
The incident occurred on March 30 in Oakland, when video showed Rendon grabbing the shirt of a fan who had heckled him. The video also showed Rendon addressing the fan with an expletive shortly after the final out of the Angels’ 2-1 loss.
The Times said police in Oakland investigated the incident as a possible misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor battery and decided not to file charges, according to a redacted report reviewed by the newspaper. The case now is closed.
On April 3, Rendon accepted a four-game suspension and an unspecified fine. He began serving the ban immediately.
“It sucked,” Rendon said of his exchange with the fan at the time. “My emotions got the best of me. I’m usually pretty good about interacting with fans … have fun with it. But the gentleman (and I), we spoke on the phone, and we both apologized about what had happened. And so we’re both ready to move forward.”
Rendon, 32, is in the fourth season of a seven-year, $245 million free-agent deal he signed with the Angels in December 2019, fresh off a World Series win with the Washington Nationals. His salary of $38.5 million this season exceeds what the Angels are paying to superstars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
In 30 games this season, he has one homer and 20 runs driven in. His .301 average is an improvement over last season’s .229.
Rendon has been a disappointment for the Angels, as injuries have limited him to just 187 games since the start of the 2020 season. He is batting .259 with 21 home runs and 109 RBIs in an Angels uniform.
In 2019, his sole All-Star season, Rendon hit .319 with 44 doubles, 34 homers and a major league-leading 126 RBIs.
–Field Level Media