Anthony Rendon wasn’t very talkative Saturday, two days after video surfaced of the Los Angeles Angels All-Star swiping at an Oakland fan following an Opening Day loss to the Athletics.
“I’m sorry. I can’t comment,” the third baseman told reporters Saturday during a news conference on the field at the Oakland Coliseum that lasted fewer than five minutes.
MLB said Friday it was looking into the incident.
Rendon went hitless and struck out twice in three at-bats Thursday. He left the Angels dugout and was on his way to the tunnel leading to the clubhouse when he stopped and confronted a fan sitting near the railing.
In a 12-second video posted on social media, Rendon grabs the fan by the shirt through the guardrails and accuses the fan of calling him a “b—-.” Rendon continues to challenge the fan as he denies the claim. Rendon then calls the fan a “motherf—er” and takes a swipe, which does not connect, as he lets go of the shirt and proceeds to leave the area.
“This happens a lot unfortunately,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “A lot of times we just don’t see it. You’re going to hear things all the time. You hear a lot. Right now, I just don’t want to comment on the incident involving Anthony or anything that goes along with it.”
Asked why he couldn’t comment, Nevin pointed to MLB’s ongoing investigation. Nevin said he did not think the situation would be a lingering distraction to his players.
“For the moment maybe, but no, I don’t think so,” Nevin said. “One thing I’ve said all along is we’ve got a great group in there. The one thing that I was most proud of last year and then continuing through the spring is the way this team has bonded and jelled together. And they’re all going to stand together now.”
As Rendon jogged onto the field for pregame warmups, he was asked what the climate was between him and the fans.
“Sorry,” Rendon said as he shrugged his shoulders and ran away to work out.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.