TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon needs hip surgery and will be out for an extended period, his latest major injury setback since joining Los Angeles.
General manager Perry Minasian told reporters at the Angels' spring training complex Wednesday that Rendon will miss a significant amount of playing time for the fifth consecutive season.
Rendon is beginning the sixth season of a $245 million, seven-year contract that has been disastrous for the Angels, who haven't had a winning season since 2015 or made the playoffs since 2014.
Rendon, who will turn 35 in June, played in just 205 games over the past four seasons, and he has been on the injured list 12 times since 2021. He was on the injured list three times in 2024 due to separate issues with his hamstring, lower back and obliques while batting .218 with no homers and 14 RBIs in 57 games.
All told, he has played in only 257 games and missed 451 for the Halos.
The Angels paid top dollar for Rendon at the peak of his talents in 2020, just over a month after he batted .319 with 34 homers, a 1.010 OPS and a majors-leading 126 RBIs during the 2019 season while playing a major role in the Washington Nationals' first World Series title run.
Los Angeles owner Arte Moreno made the pricey deal shortly after the Angels missed out on signing Gerrit Cole, the Orange County native who chose the Yankees over the Angels in free agency.
Even when healthy, Rendon has never come close to his Nationals form since moving to Southern California. He has hit just .242 with 22 homers and 125 RBIs while posting a .717 OPS for the Halos after batting .290 with 136 homers and 546 RBIs in seven seasons with Washington.
Rendon has also frustrated Angels fans with a series of pronouncements about his passion for baseball — or lack thereof.
In the last two years alone, Rendon said baseball has “never been a top priority for me," complained about the length of the MLB season, and volunteered that he has been contemplating retirement since shortly after his major league career began.
Rendon's mammoth contract has limited the Angels' ability to contend for top free agents, and it has forced them to play a series of replacements at third base during his injury absences.
Los Angeles' latest contingency plan at third appears to be Yoán Moncada, who played just 12 games for the White Sox last season due to injury. Moncada agreed to a $5 million deal last week with the Angels.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Los Angeles Angels' Anthony Rendon sprints to third during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sept. 6, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
