Let’s talk about Anthony Rendon, the baseball player who signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels in 2020. You might remember him as the guy who was supposed to be the Robin to Mike Trout’s Batman. Instead, he’s become the most expensive part-time employee in sports history.
The big question on every Angels fan’s mind—and probably Gary the hot dog vendor’s, too—is this: How many games has Anthony Rendon actually played for the Angels? Well, grab a seat and a stiff drink. As of the end of the 2024 season, Anthony Rendon has suited up for the Angels in exactly 257 games over five seasons.
Let’s put that in perspective. He signed his mega-deal in December 2019, and the Angels have played 648 regular-season games since then. That means Rendon has missed 391 games. That’s roughly the equivalent of missing an entire two-and-a-half seasons of baseball.
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How does a guy get paid $245 million to miss that many games? It’s a mystery almost as baffling as how the Angels keep losing. But Rendon’s injury list reads like a medical school syllabus: hip impingement, groin strain, hamstring, knee, wrist, back, and even a “high-ankle sprain” from stepping on a sprinkler head during a game.
The Phantom MVP Season That Never Was
When Rendon was with the Washington Nationals, he was a machine. In 2019, he hit 34 home runs, drove in 126 runs, and finished third in MVP voting. He was the guy you wanted up with the game on the line. Then he got to Los Angeles, and it’s like someone swapped his baseball bat for a fragile Fabergé egg.
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Consider his first Angels season in 2020: the pandemic-shortened year. He played 52 games out of 60, which is actually respectable. But then came 2021: 58 games. Then 2022: 47 games. Then 2023: 43 games. And in 2024? A measly 57 games. That’s a grand total of 257 games across five years—averaging just 51 games per season.
To be fair, he did have a half-decent 2021, hitting .293 with seven homers in those 58 games. But when you’re paid like a superstar and play like a benchwarmer’s ghost, fans start asking questions. Like, “Did we accidentally bury him under the outfield grass?”
The Injury Bingo Card
Rendon’s injury history is so bizarre it’s almost comedic. In 2022, he missed time with a right wrist injury from a swing. In 2023, it was a left groin strain that required surgery. In 2024, he had a hamstring strain, then a back issue, and finally a knee infection that ended his season early.
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And here’s the kicker: his contract runs through 2026. That means we’ve got two more seasons of “Is he playing today?” followed by the sad trombone sound when the answer is no. The Angels have already paid him $145 million for these 257 games. That’s $564,000 per game. For context, you could pay a minor leaguer the same amount for 35 years of work.
Mind you, this is the same guy who once said, “Baseball is boring” in interviews. It’s a bit rich coming from someone who gets paid to sit on the bench in a comfortable uniform. But hey, at least he’s honest!
The Fans’ Bleeding Hearts
Angels fans have become experts at grief. They’ve lost Mike Trout to injuries too, but at least Trout tries to play through pain. Rendon’s absence feels different—like a guy who forgot his lunch at home and just decided to skip school forever. 257 games in five years is a terrible return on investment, even by Hollywood’s terrible sequel standards.
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To make matters worse, he’s only had one season (2020) where he played over 58 games. If you took all his games and squished them together, you’d get a single bad season of 162 games. That’s like buying a five-course meal and only getting a single sad cracker.
There’s a stat that will haunt you: Since 2020, Rendon has missed more games (391) than he’s played (257). That’s a 60% absentee rate. That’s higher than my attendance in high school, and I was “sick” a lot.
The Surprising Truth
But here’s a surprising fact: when Rendon does play, he’s been decent, not amazing. His OPS with the Angels is .769. That’s good, but not elite. For $245 million, you’d expect an OPS closer to 1.000 and a few World Series appearances. Instead, the Angels have had a losing record every season he’s been there. Coincidence? Probably not.
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Yet, Rendon is somehow still beloved in the clubhouse. His teammates call him “Tony” and say he’s a great guy. But great guys don’t fill the win column. In 2023, the Angels missed the playoffs by 18 games. With Rendon healthy for a full 162? Maybe they miss by 16. Progress!
So, to answer the question: Anthony Rendon has played exactly 257 games for the Angels as of October 2024. That’s 257 games of hope, followed by 391 games of injury updates and sad emojis. If you’re an Angels fan, you’ve probably memorized the orthopedic surgeon’s schedule by now.
In the end, Rendon’s Angels tenure will be remembered as the most expensive nap in baseball history. But hey, at least he’s consistent: consistently unavailable. The only thing more surprising than his injury count is that the Angels keep expecting different results. That’s the definition of insanity—or, as I like to call it, Angels baseball.