Anthony Rendon injury might've officially closed door on Yankees third base option

At seemingly the exact same second every Twitter user hit "publish" on their nearly identical and hilarious jokes about Anthony Rendon being bummed out by the concept of spring training, Sam Blum (always on the case) reported that Rendon would be on the long-haul injured list after a surgical procedure on his hip.

He may return midseason. He may not return in 2025 at all. If he does return, it may not be for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who passed the point of no return on his long-term deal years ago.

What does that mean for the Yankees? Even if Yoán Moncada was slated to be the Opening Day starter at third base in Anaheim over Rendon, the Angels now officially have one fewer mouth to feed. It was unclear before if Luis Rengifo might get squeezed off their depth chart, a player they entertained dealing last summer (and the Yankees dabbled in acquiring).

Now? It's fairly clear they can find space for him without worrying about Rendon-centered backlash.

LA Angels' Luis Rengifo probably off Yankees' trade radar for now

To make matters worse for the Yankees, Angels star shortstop Zach Neto's shoulder surgery still has yet to completely resolve itself, though the latest updates have been positive. Will he be ready for Opening Day? It remains unknown. Regardless, he'll probably have to be caddied in the early days by utility options Scott Kingery and Kevin Newman. Rengifo isn't elite, but he's a surer thing than either of those two. He cannot be sacrificed right now, if the Angels intend to contend.

Maybe someday when Neto is healthy and top prospect Christian Moore is ready to break through, the Angels will change their calculus. Knowing the Angels' aggression with their prospects, that moment could even be midseason for Moore.

For now, though, the Yankees will probably have to look elsewhere rather than towards Anaheim for any third base additions. Rengifo's 116 OPS+/.300 average would've been beneficial, though his Gleyber Torres-esque defense wouldn't have been very additive.

Instead, the Yankees will go internal for now. Luckily, despite the contracts that are still clogging their books in that department, they don't have anything as brutal as Rendon on their ledger.