The Chicago White Sox have taken on plenty of injuries this season. But on Sunday they may have been dealt their biggest blow yet.
Tim Anderson needed to be helped by two trainers as he limped off the field. Anderson strained his right groin after fielding a ground ball off the bat of P.J Higgins. As he faded towards the outfield to make the throw he landed awkwardly and fell to the ground in pain. He will likely be heading to the injured list.
He now joins Garrett Crochet, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, and Eloy Jimenez on the long list of White Sox players to miss time due to injury.
But Tim Anderson’s absence feels bigger than the rest. The White Sox offense has been floundering all season. Anderson has been one of the few players in the lineup to produce consistently.
He is batting .356 with five home runs, eight stolen bases, and a .896 OPS. Anderson has proven to be the offensive catalyst for the White Sox at the top of the lineup. Since 2019, the White Sox are 124-89 in games that Anderson has been in the lineup. They are just 28-28 when he does not play.
It is going to be a struggle for the Chicago White Sox without Tim Anderson.
Those are some big shoes to fill, especially for a team that is playing so poorly. The White Sox have yet to come out and say how many games Anderson will miss from this injury. But they are going to need to find a way to weather the storm in his absence.
So what does the shortstop position look like while Anderson is gone? They have some internal options but if the injury is serious they may need to hit the trade market. Here are the four possible options that the White Sox could use to replace Tim Anderson at shortstop: