LA Angels: Halos bit by injury bug, place Anthony Rendon on 10-day IL

The Angels have placed third baseman Anthony Rendon on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain.

Rendon suffered the injury on a throw in Saturday’s 15-1 blowout loss, and was scratched from Monday night’s game against the Royals.

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Getting the start in Rendon’s absence will be utility man Jose Rojas. The hometown kid is one of the best stories of the season, having scratched and clawed his way to an MLB roster. He’s still looking for his first big-league hit (0-for-8, 9 PA).

The Halos have also called up infielder Jack Mayfield from the team’s alternate site. If Rojas struggles to produce, look for Mayfield to get his opportunities.

The Angels will be without Anthony Rendon for at least ten days.

Any long-term absence to Rendon would be a huge blow to the Angels who just lost right fielder Dexter Fowler to a season-ending torn ACL.

The injury couldn’t come at worse time. He’s currently riding a six-game hitting streak and tallied a base knock in seven of eight games played. Rendon has just a .765 OPS to begin his 2021 campaign, with his only extra-base hit being a home run on Saturday.

Assuming he gets healthy soon, it’s only a matter of time before he begins to put up MVP-caliber numbers. Rendon’s been one of the most consistent players in the entire league during his career.

Anthony Rendon Last Five Seasons:

• 2017 (147 games): 605 PA (.301/.403/.533) 25 HR 100 RBI
• 2018 (136 games): 597 PA (.308/.374/.535) 24 HR 92 RBI
• 2019 (146 games): 646 PA (.319/.412/.598) 34 HR 126 RBI
• 2020 (52 games): 232 PA (.286/.418/.497) 9 HR 31 RBI
• 2021 (8 games): 37 PA (.290/.378/.387) 1 HR 3 RBI

Even with Rendon playing below his usual standard, the Angels offense has proven to be the strength of the team so far, averaging 5.3 runs per game (7th-MLB) while ranking in the league’s top-10 for the following categories:

• Runs (48-7th)
• Home Runs (13-6th)
• OPS (.745-8th)

If the Halos can keep the ship afloat during the next week and half’s worth of games, Rendon coming back and providing his consistent production would make this offense more dangerous than they already are.

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There’s no question this team needs a healthy Rendon to compete for a playoff spot and beyond this season. That being said, they’ll need their role players to step up throughout the season as well.

This is going to provide an opportunity for Rojas to stick around in the big leagues, let’s see if he can take advantage.