Angels' Anthony Rendon Ruled out for Remainder of 2023 Season with Leg Injury

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is officially out for the season.

This news is not surprising as Rendon has not played since suffering a leg injury in the team's July 4 matchup against the San Diego Padres.

The injury has impacted his ability to rehab or conduct on-field workouts and manager Phil Nevin finally revealed Saturday that he won't return to the field until 2024.

The recovery has been a saga between Rendon and the Angels. Rendon said on September 15 that the injury had been diagnosed as a fracture "weeks ago," but the Angels repeatedly had said that there was no fracture. The team had categorized the injury as a "bruised left shin."

He moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL in August and a return to the field has never seemed like a reality, especially given the way the Angles have stumbled since the All-Star break.

The Angels were 45-43 when Rendon suffered the injury. Now, the team is 69-85, significantly out of the playoff hunt and has an uncertain future with star players Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

Rendon's performance pre-injury wasn't really a needle-mover. He hit .236 with two home runs and 22 RBIs in 43 games. He has struggled to avoid injury since signing a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels ahead of the 2020 season, never suiting up in more than 58 games in a single season.

This comes after an excellent tenure with the Washington Nationals that saw him win two Silver Slugger awards, be named an All-Star and win the 2019 World Series. His career has taken a significant downturn since then and the $114 million still remaining on his contract looks like an albatross.