With just nine games to go and the White Sox eliminated from the postseason, it makes little sense for the club to push players who have been dealing with injuries. After recently placing Luis Robert on the IL (finally) due to a left wrist sprain, the White Sox have announced that Tim Anderson will not return to the field in 2022.
Anderson was originally injured on August 7 with a torn ligament in his left hand. The initial prognosis was 4-6 weeks of action missed, though we are well past the six-week mark at this point. Anderson was cleared to resume baseball activities on September 11, but the club clearly sees little reason to activate Anderson now, prioritizing his health over the final nine games of the year.
Anderson, this year’s AL starting shortstop at the All-Star Game, hit .301/.339/.395 with six home runs and 13 stolen bases in just 79 games this season. For his final two months, however, Anderson was far from an All-Star player. From June 20 – when he returned from his groin injury – to August 7, the shortstop hit just .249/.287/.290 with one home run. Seeing how important Anderson is to the future of the team, the team chose to make sure he was well-rested and fully healed heading into 2023.
In Anderson’s absence, Elvis Andrus and Romy Gonzalez have been playing admirably, with Andrus serving as a veteran leader and Gonzalez getting a tryout to make an impact for next year’s team. While the White Sox have many questions that will need to be answered in the coming months, Miguel Cairo made it clear that shortstop still belongs to Tim Anderson for the foreseeable future on the South Side.
For now, the club will continue to use Andrus, Gonzalez, and Josh Harrison to man the middle infield.
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