Anthony Rendon (34, LA Angels) has been sidelined due to an injury.
MLB.com reported that “Rendon suffered a left hamstring injury. He continued to complain of discomfort after the game ended, so there’s a high likelihood he will be placed on the injured list.”
Here’s how the injury occurred. Rendon, who started as the 1st third baseman in the game against Cincinnati, stepped up to bat in the first inning. With a 2-2 count, he hit Graham Ashcraft’s 91.1 mile slider on the 5th pitch. The ball headed deep to the left of the shortstop. Rendon was faster. He made an infield hit but injured himself during the run. He felt a pain in his thigh as he tried to touch the base. Limping, Rendon had to end the game early, replaced by pinch-runner Zach Neto.
The game ended in a 5-7 loss. The defeat hurt, but Rendon’s injury hurt more.
Rendon said, “I don’t feel good. I’m angry, furious. These are adjectives you’d want to use. The injury is the most frustrating part.”
Debuting in the pros after being selected as the 6th overall pick by the Washington Nationals in the 1st round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, Rendon had a career-high season in 2019. He marked a batting average of .319, 34 home runs, 126 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.010 in 146 games. As a result, he topped the list as the first RBI king of his career.
Leveraging these achievements, Rendon, now eligible for free agency, signed a massive 7-year, $245 million (approximately 331 billion won) FA contract with the Angels.
LA Angels’ Anthony Rendon (Photo= Getty Images Korea)
However, he hasn’t lived up to his price tag. He recorded a batting average of .286, 9 home runs, 31 RBIs, and an OPS of .915 in 52 games in 2020. In 2021, he had a batting average of .240, 6 home runs, 34 RBIs, and an OPS of .711 in 58 games, and in 2022, he recorded a batting average of .229, 5 home runs, 24 RBIs, and an OPS of .706 in 47 games. Last year, he finished with a batting average of .236, 2 home runs, 22 RBIs, and an OPS of .679 in 43 games. His performance has been on a decline because of continuous injuries.
In particular, he suffered the most injuries in 2021. In April, he had a left groin strain, in May a left knee injury, in June a triceps injury, in July a left hamstring injury, and in August, he underwent right hip surgery. This season also appears to be hitting rock bottom. Including the game on this day, he only managed a batting average of .267, no home runs, and 3 RBIs in 19 games. His OPS is .632. He was showing signs of recovery recently, with a batting average of .400 (14 hits in 35 at-bats) in the last 9 games, but then he got injured.
In the end, there was no rebound. It seems complicated for him to shake off the stigma of being a bust. Criticism is growing as his performance continues to decline and the likelihood of his departure due to an early-season injury increases.
When Rhett Bollinger, the Angels beat writer for MLB.com, updated Rendon’s injury news, fans flocked in.
The comments are full of criticism of Rendon. Voices of vehement disapproval, such as “the worst contract in pro sports history,” “his season is finally over,” “he won’t be coming back as always,” and “he’s the worst,” are being heard.
LA Angels’ Anthony Rendon (Photo= Getty Images Korea)
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