ANAHEIM — Angels manager Ron Washington checked in with third baseman Anthony Rendon as he rode to the ballpark on Monday afternoon and immediately recognized the energized tone in his voice.
Rendon was eager to return to the lineup against the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Angel Stadium after missing 69 games with a torn left hamstring.
“He had the same excitement in his voice that he had in his voice in the winter,” Washington said of their pre-game conversation. “He really wanted to perform this year, and too bad that hamstring pushed him back. He had this date on the calendar and it’s here, and he’s excited about it.”
Washington put Rendon back in the leadoff spot for the series opener, just where he was hitting when he injured his hamstring while running out an infield single against the Cincinnati Reds on April 20.
It was the latest in a string of injuries that have limited Rendon, 33, since the Angels signed him to a seven-year, $245 million contract prior to the 2020 season. The year before, he had led the major leagues in RBIs while helping the Washington Nationals win a World Series title, but he has played in only 167 games and missed 408 since the start of the 2021 season.
Despite a reputation for being indifferent about his performance and availability, Rendon said he still feels the butterflies in his stomach.
“You still get nerves every single day you go out in the field, whether you’re playing every day, or whether it’s been three months,” Rendon said. “If you don’t have nerves playing this game, it kind of defeats the purpose of it, right.
“Long time coming. Ready to keep on going and finish the second half strong.”
Rendon had a brutal start to this season, going hitless in his first 21 at-bats, but is hitting .370 since then to raise his overall mark to .269.
“Seeing him come in every single day since I’ve been banged up, the hard work he’s putting in, finally getting him back out there, it means a lot to him,”…
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