Anthony Rendon takes another L about hating baseball, even when he's not playing

Los Angeles Angels infielder Anthony Rendon hasn't played since late April, and faces a lengthy recovery after tearing his hamstring. Rendon has struggled with injuries for much of his Angels tenure, which is unfortunate after signing one of the (at the time) more lucrative contracts in the sport to play third fiddle to Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani has since departed for the crosstown Dodgers, while Trout is dealing with injuries of his own. Angels fans can't help but wonder 'what if' every time Rendon is lucky enough to take the field, though that hasn't been often enough.

Rendon is infamous for his honestly regarding his livelihood. While Angels fans and those around baseball would rather Rendon play for the love of the sport, he clearly views it as an opportunity to support his family which, again, is fair.

"It's never been a top priority for me," Rendon said at the time, according to The Athletic. "This is a job. I do this to make a living. My faith, my family come first before this job. So if those things come before it, I'm leaving."

Anthony Rendon takes another loss over length of MLB season

Most recently, Rendon started an uproar among fans and players alike when he recommended the league shorten its season. In fairness to Rendon, 162 games is a lot. But it turns out most MLB players don't agree with the following statement:

“We got to shorten the season, man,” Rendon said. “There’s too many dang games–162 games in 185 days or whatever it is. Man. No. We gotta shorten this bad boy up. Let’s go.” 

Rendon was called out by former big leaguer Jonathan Papelbon shortly thereafter. In a poll by The Athletic on Monday, Rendon was voted the second-most overrated player in baseball, getting 10 percent of the vote. Only one-third of players polled ($) agreed with Rendon's statement regarding the MLB schedule, as well, confirming that the vast majority of the league is fine with 162 games

“I think (the season) feels long, but I also think it’s fair for everyone,” said an AL pitcher. ”It’s part of the grind. It’s part of what makes it so hard.”

The Athletic did a tremendous job collecting responses from players of opposing viewpoints, but Rendon is in the minority.