White Sox’s Tim Anderson Begins Rehab Assignment with Triple-A Charlotte
The Chicago White Sox could have their all-star shortstop back in the lineup very shortly as Tim Anderson has begun rehabbing his groin injury.
On Tuesday, Anderson appeared in his first rehab game at triple-A Charlotte with the Knights, where he played as the designated hitter and batted leadoff. It was the first time he’s returned to game action since being placed on the injured list on May 30.
The 28-year-old went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and one strikeout, albeit, in a losing effort as Charlotte ultimately fell 9-3 to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Anderson, who last played in the majors on May 29, is likely to appear in at least one more contest before returning to the big leagues. His biggest hurdle will undoubtedly come when he returns to shortstop, which is expected to occur his next time out.
As The Chicago Sun-Times’ Daryl Van Schouwen reports, general manager Rick Hahn believes Anderson could be activated as soon as the club’s next homestand, beginning on Monday versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the meantime, infielder Danny Mendick will continue taking reps as Chicago’s primary shortstop. This season, the 28-year-old is hitting .286/.321/.442 with two home runs and 13 RBIs across 82 plate appearances in 25 games.
Defensively, Mendick has split time between shortstop, second base – which is his natural position – third base and left field with the White Sox. He’s also previously been positioned in right and centre field, as well.
For a club that’s been riddled with injuries thus far, however, there’s no replacing the 2021 American League All-Star’s production, both offensively and defensively.
In 2022, Anderson posted nine doubles, five home runs, 19 RBIs and a .286/.321/.442 slash line through 173 plate appearances in 40 games. He’s also registered a 160 wRC+ score and a 2.2 fWAR rating.
At shortstop, the 6’1” right-hander has logged 348.0 innings at his position, recording a -2 DRS and a -1 OAA. The former 17th overall selection from the 2013 draft has also committed nine errors this season.
Sadly, the injury bug remains with the White Sox, who recently placed relievers Liam Hendriks (forearm strain) and Kyle Crick (elbow inflammation) on the 15-day IL. Both pitchers, especially Hendriks, are considered key pieces of the team’s bullpen.
Additionally, Chicago currently features five other players on the IL – including Eloy Jiménez, Yasmani Grandal, Garrett Crochet, Aaron Bummer and Jonathan Stiever. Starter Michael Kopech could also join this group shortly after leaving his latest start with knee discomfort.
The White Sox have been one of the biggest disappointments in the majors thus far, as they sit third in the AL Central with a measly 29-31 record. That places them 5.0 games behind the Minnesota Twins for first place and 3.0 games behind the Boston Red Sox for the final wild-card.
Anderson’s return can’t come soon enough for Chicago.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.