Angels 3B Rendon (oblique) expected to miss opener

According to reports, David Fletcher is expected to play third in Rendon's absence, with Tommy La Stella playing second base. Rendon has a .290 batting average with 136 home runs and 546 RBIs in 916 games over his seven-year career, all with the Nationals.

It appears the Los Angeles Angels' newest addition won't be ready when the curtain finally lifts on the 2020 season. Third baseman Anthony Rendon, a free agent acquisition who has missed the past week due to oblique tightness, will "more than likely" will sit out at least the first two games of the Angels' season-opening four-game series in Oakland, according to manager Joe Maddon.

"He more than likely may miss a couple in Oakland," Maddon reportedly told reporters Wednesday, two days ahead of the opener. "We're not ready to do anything more than that." The Angels signed Rendon, 30, to a seven-year, $245 million contract in December after the Houston native helped lead the Washington Nationals to the World Series championship last October.

Rendon was expected to boost an offense that already has perennial MVP candidate Mike Trout in center field and two-way pitcher/slugger Shohei Ohtani expected to be a full-go after Tommy John surgery in 2018 and knee surgery last September. Earlier Wednesday, Trout said he would play this season despite concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and his wife expecting their first child in August.

As for Rendon, Maddon said he "is on a pretty good path," and "keeps getting better," but the manager doesn't want to take any long-term risks with his team's prize of the offseason. "You don't want to bring him back early and lose him for the whole year," Maddon said.

The MLB regular season will be only 60 games after a pandemic-induced delay. Rendon has not been placed on the injured list. According to reports, David Fletcher is expected to play third in Rendon's absence, with Tommy La Stella playing second base.

Rendon has a .290 batting average with 136 home runs and 546 RBIs in 916 games over his seven-year career, all with the Nationals. The first-round pick in 2011 was a first-time All-Star in 2019, a season in which he led all of baseball with 126 RBIs. --Field Level Media

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