The most brazen free agent signing has been that of Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (33), who has become a headache for the Angels.

Sam Blum, a reporter covering the Angels for The Athletic, reported that Rendon evaded a reporter’s question about his injury status on his social media account on May 5 (KST). According to the report, Rendon said in a mixture of English and Spanish, “I don’t speak English,” and left the clubhouse in a hoodie. Rendon is an American.

Rendon’s last start came on July 5 against the San Diego Padres. He was removed from the game in the fourth inning after being hit in the left shin by a foul ball. A later examination revealed a bruise, but he was placed on the 10-day disabled list on July 15. “It’s feeling a little better, but it’s not healing as fast as I thought it would. I don’t have an answer,” he said, before adding, “I can’t answer that question. That’s too much detail,” he said sarcastically.

With no broken bones or damaged ligaments, suspicions were raised that he was delaying his return to the field in order to play catch. He was eventually placed on the 60-day disabled list on March 19 and is out for the season. There hasn’t been any update on his status since.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said of Rendon’s status on March 24: “It depends on when you ask me. It’s up and down every day. He’s not doing anything on the field, and we don’t know if he’s making any progress off the field,” Nevin said, with a hint of doubt about his status.

The Angels organization is still unable to provide any information on Rendon’s injury status. Local reporters have been asking Rendon directly in the clubhouse, but he has remained tight-lipped, reinforcing the theory that he’s out.

Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million free agent contract with the Angels in December 2019. After debuting in 2013, Rendon spent seven years with the Nationals through 2019, batting .994 with 136 home runs, 546 RBI, and an .859 OPS in 916 games. He’s not a flashy player, but he’s a consistent one, with five seasons of 130+ games. He helped the Nats win their first World Series title in 2019.

However, after signing a huge free agent contract with the Angels, he was plagued by a series of injuries. In 2021, he suffered groin, knee, hamstring, and hip injuries, and last year he lost three months to wrist surgery. This year, he’s been on the disabled list nine times in the last three years with groin, wrist, and shin injuries. In three years, he has missed 314 of the team’s 462 games, with stints of 58, 47, 바카라 and 43 games. That’s a fielding percentage of just 32%.

In his four years with the Angels, he batted just 2-for-49 with 179 doubles, 22 home runs, 111 RBIs and a .758 OPS in 200 games. This year is the worst of his career, as he is 2-for-36 with 35 doubles, two homers, 22 RBIs and a .678 OPS in 43 games. Shohei Ohtani has split time at the plate, but the Angels are on pace to miss the postseason for the ninth straight year. Rendon, who is suspected of blatant cheating, will be under the microscope.