ANAHEIM -- During his stint on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain, Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon would politely refuse to talk to reporters looking for an update on his status but promised he’d open up once he was activated.

That day came on Tuesday, as Rendon was reinstated from the IL after missing 21 games with yet another injury, part of his pattern of trouble staying on the field during his four seasons with the Angels. Rendon started at third base and hit cleanup against the Cubs, as rookie infielder Livan Soto was optioned to Double-A Rocket City.

In the Angels' 7-4 win, Rendon went 0-for-2 with two lineouts and a walk before exiting in the top of the sixth, with Gio Urshela shifting from first to third as a defensive replacement. Angels manager Phil Nevin said Rendon is fully healthy but they still plan to be cautious with him in the early going.

“He’s doing great,” Nevin said. “He comes up and literally smokes one to right, like right out of bed because he hadn’t had an at-bat in three weeks. But for a little while, we’ll try to get him out if we’re up after around the sixth.”

Rendon talked about his frustrations regarding his health in recent years, while also speaking candidly about the status of the organization and his role as a veteran leader with the club.

“It’s frustrating,” Rendon said. “I play this game to be competitive and I play this game to win. Obviously, I haven’t been playing a lot lately and it’s frustrating. If I'm out there, I tell myself to be the best player I can be out there. That’s what I tell myself. If I come out of the game, it means something is really wrong. But if I'm on that field, and I put that jersey on, I expect to be perfect.”

The Angels went 10-11 without Rendon and headed into Tuesday’s series opener with a 31-30 record on the season. Asked if he felt there was any extra pressure to get things going as a team, Rendon dismissed that idea because of the club’s lack of success in recent years. The Angels haven’t made the postseason since 2014 and haven’t had a winning record since ‘15.

“We haven’t made the playoffs in a long time,” said Rendon. “I take that burden, too, even if I wasn't here for those years. I came into this organization and I want to win. We all want to win. Hopefully, we all want to win. There’s no extra pressure. We just have to win now.”

Rendon, who turned 33 on Tuesday, has dealt with countless injuries with the Angels since signing a seven-year, $245 million deal before the 2020 season. He played in 52 games in the shortened 2020 season, but only 58 in '21 and 47 in '22.

The Angels are a better team when he plays, however, as they have a 97-90 record when he’s in the starting lineup over the last four seasons and a 110-148 record when he isn’t.

“He's obviously one of our better players when he's out there,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said. “And if you look at our record the last couple of years with him and without him, it’s a drastic difference. I don't think that's random. I think he's a big part of a winning team.”

Nevin said he believes Rendon’s presence at the plate is vital for the team, especially because of his ability to get on base and drive in runners. Rendon slashed .301/.415/.369 with one homer and 20 RBIs in 30 games before going on the IL, including hitting .357 with runners in scoring position.

“I just think we’re at our best when he’s there,” Nevin said. “I can talk all about what he means to this group and what he’s done.”

Nevin added that Rendon is also one of the club’s most vocal leaders, and Rendon said it’s something he’s started to embrace as a veteran. He’s trying to motivate his team to get 15 wins a month, which is something they did in April and May.

“You do the math and it’s 90 wins,” Rendon said. “If that happens we’d have a good chance at the end of the season to be able to play longer in October. We haven’t been playing the best and we've hit the bare minimum. So I need to push these guys a bit more.”

Rendon said he’ll also continue to push himself in an effort to stay healthy, as he’s made several changes to his routine. But when asked if it will be enough to get him back to his former self, Rendon simply didn’t know. He slashed .290/.369/.490 in seven seasons with the Nationals, but he has slashed .259/.368/.412 while with the Angels.

“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Rendon said. “That’s what I continue to work for.”