Anthony Rendon is injured again

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Anthony Rendon is injured.

Again.

This time it might finally spell the end of the line for him.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian met the media on Wednesday and revealed that Rendon will undergo left hip surgery and “will be out a significant amount of time,” according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger.

Before the 2020 season, the Angels signed Rendon to a seven-year, $245M contract thinking that he would complement Mike Trout as an anchor in the team’s lineup. It was a reasonable belief at the time considering Rendon had just finished a season in which he batted .319/.412/.598 (157 OPS+) with a career-high 34 home runs while leading the NL in doubles (44) and RBI (126). He was an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger, and finished third in MVP voting.

Rendon hit well in his first year in Los Angeles. The season was cut to 60 games following the Covid pandemic, but Rendon appeared in 52 of them for the Angels and hit .286/.418/.497 (150 OPS+). He’d finish 10th in AL MVP voting.

That would prove to be the last time Rendon would make it through a healthy season.

Since the start of the 2021 season, Rendon has landed on the injured list a dozen times with a variety of injuries. The list is extensive: knee contusion, hamstring strain, hip impingement, wrist inflammation, wrist surgery, groin strain, wrist contusion, shin contusion, hamstring strain, back inflammation, oblique strain, and now hip surgery.

Even when on the active roster (he’s missed roughly 70% of the team’s games), he’s hardly been a shell of his old self at the plate. Over the last four years, Rendon has hit a collective .231/.329/.336 (86 OPS+) with just 13 homers.

There has also been more than one occasion where his — effort, attitude, work ethic … pick a description and it fits — has been called into question. He’s not shy about such feelings, either, meaning it’s not hyperbole when baseball fans suggest he hates the very game he’s paid to play.

The Angels still owe Rendon $38.57M in each of the next two seasons, but given he’s looking at another extended absence it’s fair to wonder if this is the end of the line. He’ll be 35 years old next spring, even if he’s able to recover fully after another major operation.

Los Angeles might be best served by simply releasing him now.

Locker talk

Teams sometimes make calculated decisions when assigning lockers in spring training clubhouses. Promising prospects often get space near veteran leaders, hoping the proximity helps foster bonds so the young players learn the ins and outs of being a major leaguer.

Sometimes, it’s just a locker, too. Yet, this detail is often highlighted when camps open, and people pay attention.

The Yankees made a point of moving Jasson Dominguez’s locker this spring, for instance. Dominguez’s space is between Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, whom he’ll share New York’s outfield with this season. Dominguez struggled some in left field last year, but the extra time alongside his fellow outfielders (both of whom are generally well-regarded defenders) can only prove beneficial.

Meanwhile, Boston elected to keep its “Big Three” prospects (Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer) together with adjoining lockers.

Elsewhere, around the sport …

• Daniel Vogelbach has evidently retired after a nine-year career in which he hit .219/.340/.405 (106 OPS+) in just under 2,000 PA. The burly first baseman just turned 32 in December but is in camp with the Pirates as a special assistant. Vogelbach will split his time between the Major and Minor League clubs, focused on hitting.