Angels announce 2020 roster: Five biggest takeaways

Angels Roster Takeaways: Anthony Rendon to avoid injured list

As we learned on Wednesday, Anthony Rendon will not be ready to play for the Angels on Friday due to a lingering oblique issue. While oblique issues can linger and often are unpredictable in terms of timeline, the Angels are hopeful that Rendon will not miss much more than a few days.

That confidence showed on Thursday when the team announced the active roster and Rendon was firmly entrenched on it. This would indicate that he will not be forced to spend time on the injured list.

That’s good news for the Angels, as they spent a lot of money (7-years, $245 million) to make Rendon a centerpiece of their lineup around Mike Trout. Instead, they’ll be short the All-Star for at least the opener in Oakland, and perhaps a few more games depending on how he heals.

It will be disappointing to lose him for even a few games considering the shortened season, there is still a long-game to play here. Trout’s wife is due to give birth on August 3rd, and he will undoubtedly miss time to attend the birth and be with his wife and son for a few days following. It will be important to have Rendon healthy and in the lineup during that time.

The Angels have the pieces to plug and play in order to ensure Rendon is healthy. During his absence, David Fletcher is expected to draw the start at third, with Matt Thaiss available as a back-up at both corner infield positions.