Billy Butler missed the last two games in the Oakland A’s series with the Chicago White Sox, though the initial reason was reported. But now, a light has been shed on what happened…sort of.
Apparently, an altercation between Butler and teammate Danny Valencia in the Oakland clubhouse caused Butler to sit out the last two games because of vomiting and feeling nauseated.
A concussion, perhaps?
Despite the speculation, there has been no confirmation from the organization. Perhaps manager Bob Melvin missed his chance to downplay the situation after he denied Butler was suffering from the flu. But the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the incident began over equipment. Let that sink in. Danny Valencia punched teammate Billy Butler in the head because of…equipment.
Again, no one has confirmed exactly what happened. When asked about the incident, Valencia used the “no comment” escape, saying “what happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.” Butler has not been in contact at all as he’s ignored the media’s attempt to get an answer out of him.
Punishment surely awaits Valencia from the organization, and it will be interesting to see if Butler will be penalized for his role in the altercation. It seems both parties were at fault, here, with Butler egging Valencia on and causing the latter to throw the proverbial and literal first punch.
“Those two go at it every day, so in that way, it was pretty normal,” said one anonymous player to the SF Chronicle. “If Bill had dropped it, Danny never would have done anything. But he kind of kept egging him on. I think it’s fair to say he was verbally provoked, very much so. I’m worried about what might happen to Danny now, but at the same time, you don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
The two were former teammates in Kansas City, though there have been no reported incidents from their time spent there.
