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Angels 3B Rendon (oblique) iffy for season opener

[July 20, 2020] Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is deemed questionable for the season opener as he deals with tightness in his oblique.

Rendon, who was scratched from intrasquad games on Friday and Saturday, signed a seven-year, $245 million contract in December to give the Angels a pair of superstars in their prime. He joined Mike Trout, who just captured his third American League Most Valuable Player award.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said he believes there's a chance Rendon could be ready for Friday's season opener against the Oakland Athletics, but he wasn't certain.

"I really don't have any idea," Maddon said Saturday. "From his mouth, he says he's actually pretty good, but you don't know with something like this. When I hear these things, day to day, you just be patient. And I don't even want to create conjecture because I really don't know."

Rendon, 30, had spent his entire seven-year major league career in Washington. He earned his first career All-Star selection in 2019 and batted .319 with a .412 on-base percentage, a .598 slugging percentage, 34 homers and a major-league-leading 126 RBIs. He also tied for the National League lead with 44 doubles.

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Angels infielder Anthony Rendon defends during a Spring Training workout at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Angels Baseball/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network

He boosted his free agent value with his play in the 2019 postseason. Rendon hit .328 (20-for-61) with seven doubles, three homers and 15 RBIs in 17 games. He homered in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series against the Houston Astros to help the Nationals emerge on top.

In 916 career regular-season games, Rendon has a .290/.369/.490 batting line with 136 homers and 546 RBIs. Last year, he received his second Silver Slugger award as the NL's top-hitting third baseman and finished third in the MVP voting.

--Field Level Media

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