Anthony Rendon injury: Angels’ third baseman set for season-ending wrist surgery

The Los Angeles Angels on Friday announced that third baseman Anthony Rendon will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his right wrist early in the upcoming week. Rendon has been sidelined since June 14, when he was removed from a game against the Dodgers after injuring his wrist on a swing. 

Rendon, 32, sees his 2022 season end with a slash line of .228/.324/.383 and five home runs in 45 games. Rendon, who’s in the third year of a seven-year, $245 million free agent contract with the Angels, has dealt with a number of injuries in recent years. In 2021, he was limited to just 58 games played because of groin, knee, hamstring, and hip problems. The prior season, 2020, was abbreviated to just 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond this season, the worry is that Rendon’s injuries, many of which are the soft-tissue variety, will become even more of a concern as he ages deeper into his thirties. After this season, he has more than $150 million left on his contract. 

This marks a critical loss for the Angels, who have seen their 2022 season devolve from one of significant promise — they were a season-best 11 games over .500 on May 15 — to another one of disappointment. A recent 14-game losing streak cost manager Joe Maddon his job and also tumbled the Angels out of the AL West race. While there’s plenty of time for a rebound, the loss of Rendon increases the likelihood that the Halos are headed for a seventh straight losing season — all of which have occurred during Mike Trout’s legendary peak. They also haven’t made the playoffs since 2014 and haven’t won a postseason game since 2009.