NEW YORK — Nearly two weeks after his fight in a game against the Guardians in Cleveland, Tim Anderson found out the verdict on his appeal of a lengthy suspension.

In the end, he got a minor reduction – and came out with an apology.

On Thursday afternoon, Major League Baseball announced that Anderson’s suspension has been reduced one game, and he will now have to sit out five games after throwing punches with Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez at Progressive Field on August 5.

It’s unknown if the fine he received in the fight was either reduced or rescinded.

After that announcement, Anderson took to his Instagram account to apologize for the fight and suspension.

“I want to apologize to the entire White Sox organization, my teammates, manager and coaches and to the fans for my part in the altercation which took place in Cleveland,” said Anderson in a statement posted to his Instagram story. “This has been an incredibly disappointing season for me personally and for our team. I will not get into the things that were said to me by Cleveland players both Friday night and Saturday, but those comments do not excuse my language or conduct, and I take full responsibility for my emotions getting the better of me.

“The Cleveland players are free to say whatever they want, but I will just say that no one has more respect for the game of baseball than me. I look forward to returning after serving my suspension and finishing the season playing the best baseball I can to help my team.”

Anderson will begin serving the suspension on Friday when the White Sox travel to Colorado to face the Rockies for a three-game series. The shortstop would be scheduled to return to the team on Wednesday for the third and final game of a series with the Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The much-replayed fight was not the best of moments for Anderson in what has been a difficult season for the two-time All-Star. After each took offense to the other when Ramirez slid into second where Anderson put the tag on him, the pair immediately squared up to fight.

After a few punches were thrown, Anderson was knocked to the ground by a punch from Ramirez.

A .300 hitter the last four seasons, the shortstop is hitting .238 this season with 12 doubles, a triple and a home run with 25 RBI in 92 games. Anderson is not alone in his struggles as many on the White Sox have endured down years as the club sits at 48-73 on the season.