Anthony Rendon's comments after injury sound a lot like how Angels fans have felt

It must have just been too good to be true. While Los Angeles Angels' Anthony Rendon third baseman had turned into a punchline for his complete inability to stay on the field, combined with an aloof to surly demeanor when it comes to dealing with the media and fans, 2024 did feel a bit different to start.

Sure, Rendon wasn't actually particularly good so far this season, but he was doing something. His .265/.325/.307 line was OK, even if completely devoid of power and definitely not worthy of leading off. He was at least engaged at the plate while avoiding waving his bat at pitches he had no business swinging at.

All of that led to Saturday's game against the Reds where Rendon hit a grounder to short that he actually tried to leg out for an infield single and immediately pulled up lame and in pain after the play. After a quick consultation with the trainer, he was pulled from the game with a hamstring injury.

After the game, Rendon surprisingly talked to reporters about the injury. Beyond sounding pretty bleak, which is fair because there is apparently no such thing as a minor injury with him, Rendon's comments also seemed vaguely familiar to how Angels fans have felt during most of his time with the team.

Angels News: Anthony Rendon likely to hit IL with hamstring issue

In a vacuum, a guy who used to be a star having his body completely give out on him usually gets at least some sympathy. It wasn't Ken Griffey Jr.'s fault that he ripped his hamstring which probably kept him from ascending to the top of the all-time home run leaderboard. Will Clark, Dustin Pedroia, David Wright, Dale Murphy, Johan Santana, and Stephen Strasburg are all players who were on the path to joining the Hall of Fame before injuries sapped them of what made them great, and those are just a few examples.

On the one hand, Rendon at least reflecting a bit on what this latest injury could mean may be a sign of personal growth. Rendon was absolutely torched for his comments about baseball not being a priority for him and fans have long been frustrated with the combination of the constant injuries, how much he was getting paid, and his dismissive attitude towards anyone that would ask him about it. Rendon was open about his feelings with this one and it sure sounded like he had been feeling good about how things were trending and that this injury was honestly devastating to him.

The saddest part, though, is that Rendon will find few that actually feel sorry for him. The problem with giving the finger everyone who criticizes or questions your behavior or even just wants to know what is going on with you before now is that when things don't go your way, those people come out of the woodwork to pile on. It may be true that Rendon had a renewed outlook on baseball and was about to finally show what he can do this season, but the odds now are that he is going to hit the injured list and won't be back particularly soon, which is what people are going to focus on.

This could go any number of directions, but unfortunately Rendon has done little to nothing to earn the benefit of the doubt and, once again, he is going to keep drawing a massive paycheck while rehabbing yet another injury. Hopefully he gets at least another chance to make things right.

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