This Anthony Rendon update is something all Angels fans expected

Anthony Rendon's fourth season with the Los Angeles Angels had virtually the exact same outcome as each of the last three. He'd enter the season with lofty expectations, play for a good amount to start the year, then land on the IL and be limited to fewer than 60 games.

Rendon hadn't reached the 60-game mark once with the Angels, and had played just 47 last season. He came into the 2023 campaign with the Angels organization fully supporting him. Both Perry Minasian and Phil Nevin hyped him up as a prime Comeback Player of the Year candidate, and for the first month and a half of the season, the third baseman had stayed mostly healthy.

The injuries caught up to Rendon later on, and after just 43 games, his season is officially over. Rendon, who has been out since July 4 with a shin injury, ended his season slashing .236/.361/.318 with two home runs and 22 RBI in 183 plate appearances.

Anthony Rendon officially out for the season as his LA Angels career remains an unmitigated disaster

Rendon missing the remainder of the season wasn't something anyone really expected when he fouled the ball off his shin, but as time went on, it's not surprising to see Rendon not return at this point.

There really isn't even much of a reason for him to return as the Angels have been out of it for a month now, and watching him play 10 games or so won't help anyone. The hope now is for the veteran third baseman to be healthy heading into Spring Training and get his body into a place where he can withstand a full 162-game season without needing many trips on the IL.

Not only has Rendon been limited to 148 games total in the last three seasons (49 on average), he has just a 94 OPS+ in the games he's played. So Rendon has barely played, and when he has, he's been a below-average hitter. Just unfathomable for a player who is making $38 million and is just 33 years old.

The Angels enter this offseason with Rendon likely pencilled in as their third baseman for the 2024 season, but he simply cannot be trusted at this point. Bringing in a player like Gio Urshela as an insurance policy is a must, which again, is awful for a player the Angels are paying so much money for.

Rendon's season got off to a pretty promising start as he was hitting for a high average and getting on base a ton, but he struggled after returning from his first IL stint and never quite got in a groove again. The Angels hope he can be productive for them in 2024, but again, he's impossible to rely on at this point.