TEMPE, Ariz. — The annual saga of Anthony Rendon’s health began before Rendon even arrived at camp this year.
Rendon will undergo surgery on his left hip, which will make him unavailable for a significant amount of time, general manager Perry Minasian said Wednesday, the day Angels pitchers and catchers held their first workout of the spring.
“He brought up that he’s had some difficulty with his rehab the last couple weeks,” Minasian said. “We had a couple different doctors take a look at it.”
Rendon is expected to undergo surgery “in the very near future,” Minasian said. Minasian, who typically refuses to give an expected timeline for injuries, said only that this procedure entailed a “long term rehab.”
Rendon, 34, has two years and $72 million remaining on a seven-year, $245-million contract that has been a nightmare for the Angels. Rendon has missed most of the last four years with a variety of injuries, including surgery on his right hip in 2021. When he has played, he hasn’t been as productive as expected. Last year he hit .218 with no homers and a .574 OPS in 57 games.
That is why the Angels had been preparing themselves to move on from Rendon even before this setback.
Last October, Minasian said Rendon was going to have to earn playing time in 2025. In December, Minasian said that he was open to adding an everyday third baseman.
Last week, they agreed to terms with third baseman Yoán Moncada, whose $5-million deal will become official in the next couple days. Moncada would now be in line to be the Angels starting third baseman.
Beyond Moncada, who has also had a string of injuries in the past few years, the list of options at third includes Luis Rengifo, Kevin Newman, Tim Anderson or J.D. Davis at third.
Manager Ron Washington said he was nonetheless disappointed to learn that the Angels would be without Rendon.
“It was a blow, because I’m a believer in Rendon,” Washington said. “But we’re going to look at all our options and continue to move forward. That’s all you can do.”
Washington said he reached out to Rendon after getting the news, but he hadn’t heard back.
“Anthony is dealing with some things,” Washington said. “I know at some point he’ll get back to me.”