It was already written on the wall, considering how things unfolded on Tuesday. The Angels-Braves game was marred by players getting physical and benches being cleared. The brawl started after the Angels’ DH Jorge Soler charged at the Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez after a high-and-inside fastball and eventually started throwing hands.
MLB was expected to put a hefty penalty on both players. But in reality, punishment was more than just a penalty and would affect both teams heavily.
“Jorge Soler and Reynaldo Lopez have each been suspended seven games and received an undisclosed fine following the brawl between the Angels and Braves. Both are appealing,” Talkin’ Baseball shared via X.
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It was expected that both Soler and Lopez would attract a huge financial penalty. Or they would be suspended for a few games. However, the announced punishment was harsher as both Soler and Lopez were suspended for 7 games and also received a huge penalty! A double punishment indeed. Still, they are appealing against the sentence. Let’s now see if that could reduce the term.
Jorge Soler and Reynaldo Lopez have each been suspended seven games and received an undisclosed fine following the brawl between the Angels and Braves. Both are appealing pic.twitter.com/2EMxKFLkQW
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 8, 2026
However, considering how MLB is taking a strict stance towards violence on the field, this punishment was expected.
“MLB has gone to great lengths to deter these sorts of brawls in recent years, and, assuming they are paying attention at all, they are going to see Lopez striking Soler with an actual baseball as going way too far,” HTHB’s Eric Cole wrote.
In 2023, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and Guardians’ slugger Jose Ramirez got involved in a physical fight. Result? MLB announced a six-game suspension for Anderson and a three-game suspension for Ramirez. So, we expected the same this time also. But with MLB getting stricter about on-field violence, punishment was also stricter this time.
Also, Soler’s punishment was expected. Why? Because he first charged at Lopez. However, the latter’s case went against him because Lopez fought it out with a baseball in his hand. So now, both the Angels and Braves would miss their two key names, that too for an avoidable reason.
The Braves would be the worst hit due to Reynaldo Lopez
“If Lopez were a position player, it feels like he could be forced to take a week off. However, Lopez being a starter probably means that the league is going to want him to miss at least a couple of starts for the infraction,” Cole further added.
Lopez is a part of the Braves’ starting rotation and is going hot this year. Through three starts, he boasts a 1.15 ERA, which proves his dominance at the mound. But now, as he is served with a 7-game suspension, Lopez will miss 1-2 starts except for his next start against the Marlins. As he appealed against the sentence, he would remain eligible to hit the mound till the appeal gets ruled.
So, it would be huge for the Braves to miss an arm with a 1.15 ERA. Still, Lopez is garnering larger support compared to Soler. “If somebody charges at me, I’m not just going to stand there and be like, ‘I’m not getting suspended, hit me,'” former MLB catcher Erik Kratz said.
MLB announced punishment for Lopez, focusing mainly on the fact that he fought with Soler with a baseball in his hand. However, Kratz wonders what a pitcher would do if a slugger is charging at him other than retaliation. Throwing the ball at Soler is dangerous, but Soler was approaching him fast, and he had to act quickly and decisively.
Let’s now see if these arguments work in Lopez’s appeal. If not, the Braves need to pull someone else to fill the gap.
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Edited by
Arunaditya Aima