NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels slugger Jorge Soler began serving a four-game suspension Wednesday night against the New York Yankees after his penalty for getting into a fight with Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López was reduced.
Hours earlier, Soler's punishment was cut by three games in an agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
“Obviously, Jorgie’s been swinging the bat really hot now, so it’s
unfortunate that we have to miss him for four games,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said at Yankee Stadium. “But, you know, it is what it is and we have to deal with it. And we definitely will be waiting for him to come back.”
Both players were initially suspended seven games and fined by MLB last week after they got into a brawl on the field and were ejected from a game between the Braves and Angels in Anaheim, California.
Each player appealed, and an agreement was quickly reached between MLB and the MLBPA that trimmed López’s ban to five games. That penalty took effect immediately, and López was able to make his scheduled next start Tuesday against Miami thanks to an off day in Atlanta's schedule.
Soler is batting .231 with five homers, 18 RBIs and an .849 OPS. He went deep Tuesday night, the last of three straight solo homers by the Angels in the first inning of a 7-1 victory at Yankee Stadium.
The 34-year-old Soler had started all 18 games for the Angels this season — 15 at designated hitter and three in right field.
Third baseman Yoán Moncada was the DH on Wednesday night, with Oswald Peraza at the hot corner. Right fielder Jo Adell moved into Soler's cleanup spot in the lineup, and the Angels were forced by rule to play a man short on the bench.
“I just try to tell ’em wherever they are in the lineup, just be themselves,” Suzuki said. “I think sometimes you can tend to overdo things if you’re in that spot or mentality, but I think Jo’s at a place now where he’s comfortable with what he’s doing. He knows what he has to do. He knows just being himself is plenty.”
Soler homered off López in the first inning April 7, then was hit by a 96 mph fastball from the right-hander his next time up. In the fifth, Soler charged the mound after López threw a high-and-inside wild pitch that tipped off catcher Jonah Heim’s mitt.
At first, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.
“I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said that night through an interpreter, according to MLB.com. “That’s why I went out there.”
The benches and bullpens emptied as players from both teams tried to separate the two. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss was among those who tackled Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP with the Braves.
López was still holding the baseball when he landed a punch on Soler’s batting helmet. The two were teammates in Atlanta during the second half of the 2024 season, and López said through an interpreter there was “never any intent” to plunk Soler.
Atlanta led 4-2 when the fight occurred and went on to a 7-2 victory.
Soler’s two-run shot in the first inning made him 14 for 23 with five homers and three doubles against López.
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