“Just wants his bag for his family”; “He fleeced the Angels” - MLB fans react as Anthony Rendon goes down with another injury due to elbow contusion

Since 2021, Anthony Rendon has only appeared in 189 out of a possible 648 games for the Los Angeles Angels. This is despite the fact that the Angels committed to pay the infielder some $245 million between 2020 and 2026.

On Friday, it was confirmed by the Angels that Rendon had suffered a right elbow contusion during the game against the Atlanta Braves. The news comes after Rendon's most recent IL activation on Aug. 7. Since April 20, the 34-year-old has played in just 22 games.

"Anthony Rendon is hurt again" - Talkin' Baseball

Anthony Rendon's seemingly endless susceptibility to injury, coupled with the astronomical amount he is being paid by the Los Angeles Angels has made him a whipping boy of fans in recent years. Predictably, several took to social media to offer their own views on the news.

Fans have often taken umbrage to Rendon's apparent lack of remorse for missing so much time. In January, the Houston-native attracted significant criticism after he claimed that the 162-game MLB season is too long. Rendon has not appeared in over 150 contests since the 2016 season.

"One of the worst signings in baseball history" - sneered a fan

"Bro money earned per game has to be like 1 million bucks he has been hurt so much," another fan said.

"Bro needs to call it a career," another added.

As recently as 2019, when he was a member of the Washington Nationals, Rendon was considered one of the foremost players in MLB. A .319/.412/.598 hitter who led the NL with 126 RBIs and won the World Series that year, Rendon's stats have taken a nosedive since he signed with the Angels in 2020.

"Softer than butter," insulted a fan.

"Angels have the worst luck lol" - lamented another

"The absolute worst free agent signing in Angels history !!" - was a final condemnation

Anthony Rendon's attitude does him no favors

If the former MVP contender showed any remorse for playing such few games, perhaps fans would be easier on him. However, the exact opposite appears to be true. In January, Rendon told podcast host Jack Vito:

“We got to shorten the season, man. There’s too many dang games — 162 games and 185 days or whatever it is. Man, no. We got to shorten this bad boy up.”

For someone who has thus far earned over a million dollars per appearance over the past several years, the irony could not be more apparent.