Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Athletics DH Billy Butler was injured in a clubhouse altercation with teammate Danny Valencia. Butler has been absent for the last two games and Valencia was not in Sunday’s lineup, either.
The Athletics have been pretty mum about the issue, as expected. Valencia would only offer a “no comment,” and added, “What happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.”
Manager Bob Melvin told the media on Saturday that Butler was out with nausea and vomiting, but specifically said that he wasn’t suffering from the flu. Slusser then notes that nausea and vomiting are symptoms of a concussion.
Slusser also points out that Butler and Valencia, who were also teammates with the Royals in 2014, are “known to engage in a great deal of loud banter in the clubhouse and on the field.”
Now that the cat’s out of the bag, we should soon hear more details about what happened. Right now, it’s not a good look for the Athletics.