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The Angels announced on Friday that third baseman Anthony Rendon needs surgery on his right wrist that will effectively end his season.
Rendon originally signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with Los Angeles after the 2019 season, but he’s struggled to stay healthy in his first three seasons of the deal. By the end of this year, he will have only played in 155 of a possible 384 games thanks to injuries to his right wrist, groin, left knee, left hamstring and right hip in 2021 and ’22.
While with the Nationals, Rendon was a standout third baseman with an .858 OPS in his first seven seasons. He had his best season in 2019, when he hit a career-high 34 home runs with a league-leading 126 RBIs as part of Washington’s first ever World Series championship team.
That offseason he signed the biggest deal of any position player available, and trailed just Gerrit Cole for the biggest contract signed that season. Currently, Rendon is tied with Stephen Strasburg for the 12th largest contract in baseball.
With the Angels, however, Rendon’s inability to stay on the field has been an issue. Even when he has been on the field, Rendon totaled just 20 home runs in three seasons with a .780 OPS.
In Rendon’s stead, the Angels will turn to Matt Duffy, Tyler Wade and Luis Rengifo at third base.
