The Chicago White Sox may have won on Sunday but they lost a key part of their team for an undetermined amount of time. Shortstop Tim Anderson, their leader and best player, went out of the lineup with a groin strain and it’s hard to tell just how long he’s going to be out of the lineup.
Manager Tony La Russa didn’t sugarcoat it when he said what he said in his post-game press conference about Anderson going to the IL. NBC Sports Chicago quoted LaRussa as saying:
"“He made that spin, not sure exactly if he got his spike stuck or something” La Russa said. “That’s typical, he goes on the IL making a great play at the time we needed it.”"
Anderson will be evaluated on Monday to check the severity of the strain. After that, we should know more about what’s going on with him and perhaps how much time he will miss.
As stated, Anderson is the undisputed leader and the team’s best player. Losing him will have a huge impact on how this team performs because the team usually follows him in every way.
The Chicago White Sox needs to get Tim Anderson back as soon as possible.
He’s their vocal leader, their top performer, and someone that they can’t live without on the field. He’s a spectacular playmaker both on the field and in the batter’s box. There is no underestimating his value to the White Sox organization.
Anderson was doing what Anderson typically does, making a big play on a throw to first base in order to get a runner out after grabbing the hit from the batter. He seemed to twist awkwardly and crumpled down to the outfield turf in a heap of pain.
Trainers and teammates rushed over to help him and got him to his feet. It took two trainers to get him into the clubhouse for evaluation. After that, there wasn’t much word other than to say that he had a groin strain. That is until La Russa’s comments in the post-game press conference.
The White Sox will struggle unless someone picks up where Anderson left off and turns themselves into a leader. Someone like Jose Abreu or Yasmani Grandal needs to take the reigns and help lead this club forward.
Anderson missing time will be a big loss but it doesn’t have to be as big as everyone thinks that it’s going to be. The team needs to find another leader and have him fill in for Anderson until he returns.