Oakland Athletics: Danny Valencia Injures Billy Butler in Fight
By Tj Porreca
As if things weren’t bad enough for the Oakland Athletics this season, the team reportedly has turmoil in the clubhouse. According to a report, Danny Valencia injured Billy Butler in a fight.
With a record of 53-71 entering Monday, the Oakland Athletics have not shown much fight on the score board or in the standings this season.
However, there is fighting within the Athletics, just in the clubhouse.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports Danny Valencia and Billy Butler were recently involved in an “altercation.” Valencia and Butler engaged in a fight, in which Valencia injured Butler.
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It’s unclear exactly what type of injury Butler sustained, but he missed Oakland’s last two games with what the team called nausea and vomiting.
Neither the team nor the players involved are saying much on the incident, which to a certain extent is to be expected. Valencia said he had, “no comment” after Oakland’s game on Sunday. “What happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.”
At this point, it’s not known what caused the fight. The A’s are having a tough season, and perhaps the frustrations on the field boiled over in the clubhouse. Or, perhaps not.
Valencia once seemed destined for a promising career as a member of the Minnesota Twins, but he has bounced around quite often over the past six years. Valencia has spent time with the Twins, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and now the Athletics.
For his career, Valencia has a batting line of .273/.317/.435. While those may not be the numbers of a perennial All Star, Valencia is a productive player. The fact that he has been on six teams in seven seasons should be telling.
As the Chronicle notes, Butler and Valencia have a history. The two briefly crossed paths in 2014, when Valencia played 36 games with the Kansas City Royals. Still, though, this incident is surprising.
This incident just adds to what has been a tough year overall for the A’s. Through 124 games, Oakland is 53-71, which is their fifth-worst record through that amount of games in team history. Over their past 22 games, the Athletics have won just six.
But outside of the team struggles, perhaps Valencia and/or Butler are unhappy with their roles this season. If so, they would not be the only player(s) on the team unhappy with their current situation. At this point, that’s purely speculative. Even if that were to be the case, though, teammates fighting is not the answer. It doesn’t help Valencia, it doesn’t help Butler, and it doesn’t help the A’s.
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There had been rumors that the A’s entertained the possibility of trading Valencia at this year’s deadline. No one bit, perhaps because of Valencia’s struggles defensively, or perhaps because of other concerns. Valencia has already seen his role change, as Ryon Healy is getting a long look at third base. Also, another one of Oakland’s top prospects, Matt Chapman, is a third baseman. Valencia’s future with the team, simply from an on-field perspective, was already looking bleak beyond this season. Now with this incident, it wouldn’t be surprising if Valencia ends up searching for his seventh team.