For most of the past four seasons, Tim Anderson has been one of the best players on the Chicago White Sox. He is also the face of the franchise and deserves a lot of credit for the way that he has played and carried himself.
He has been a bit injured late in this season but his return appears to be imminent. In his spot, the White Sox started with Leury Garcia, Lenyn Sosa, and Romy Gonzalez as options. Since then, however, they signed Elvis Andrus after he was cut by the Oakland A’s.
Since coming over, Andrus has been amazing for the White Sox. You can argue that he has been their best player. You can’t argue the fact that he has certainly been a sparkplug for a team that needed one really badly.
When speaking to the media on Tuesday, Rick Hahn gave an update on the now two-time All-Star shortstop. He confirmed that Anderson is clear to ramp up baseball activities. They don’t have a targeted return date just yet but they assume that it could be next week.
The Chicago White Sox are going to be getting Tim Anderson back really soon.
Tim Anderson followed up with hand specialist and can ramp up baseball activity. Will begin immediately
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) September 13, 2022
Hahn says Tim Anderson has been cleared to begin ramping up his baseball activities. There’s isn’t a return date yet in place.
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) September 13, 2022
Rick Hahn said Tim Anderson has been cleared to begin "ramping up more seriously his baseball activity."
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) September 13, 2022
Hahn said he could return during next week's homestand, but no set, clear return date
This is amazing news for the White Sox. Recency bias is going to make people think that Andrus is a better long-term option this season but we know how good Anderson is too. It would be really nice if they could find a way to both get enough playing time to help the team.
The more players that are playing well at the same time, the better the chances of the White Sox making it to the postseason. All hands will need to be on deck.
When Anderson was put on the Injured List, things were different for the White Sox. At the time, it was clear that keeping him out for the season might be the smart move. However, now they need him back as this division title is certainly within reach.
Tony La Russa was writing the lineup cards when Anderson last appeared on one. It will be interesting to see if he makes a positive impact with Miguel Cairo in charge now. This team has a whole different feel since that transition so expect Anderson to feed off of it.