Angels outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler has had his suspension reduced from seven games to four and he will begin serving that suspension tonight. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was among those to relay the update.
The suspension stemmed from a brawl between the Angels and Atlanta last week. Soler homered off Atlanta starter Reynaldo López in the first inning. In the third inning, López hit Soler with a pitch. When Soler came up again in the fifth, a pitch from López sailed up and in. Though this one didn’t hit Soler, he clearly took exception to it. He stared at López for a while before charging at him, with the two throwing punches at each other.
Both players initially received seven-game suspension, with each player appealing. López quickly had his reduced to five games and started serving it. Thanks to an off-day on Thursday last week, that effectively amounted to one start getting pushed back slightly. Soler was also appealing and his status stayed up in the air for a week. It’s unclear if a hearing took place or if he reached a settlement. Either way, the result is that he will miss the next four games.
Teams are not allowed to replace players when they are suspended for on-field infractions. That means the Angels will have to play short-handed for the next four games. The Halos are in the Bronx today and tomorrow, then head home to host the Padres for three.
Soler has been the club’s designated hitter for most of their games so far this season. He has a strong .231/.342/.508 line, so it’s not good to be without him, but the one benefit is that they can rotate a few players through that spot to give them a lighter workload.
Photo courtesy of William Navarro, Imagn Images
