Earlier in the month, it sounded like Tim Anderson was a lock to make his return to the Chicago White Sox in time to help them reach the postseason. Then, the team lost six games in a row including three to the now division-winning Cleveland Guardians and things have changed.
Miguel Cairo announced that Tim Anderson is going to miss the remainder of the season so that he can be ready at full strength for 2023. That concludes a season in which Tim Anderson was great at times but got hurt when they needed him most.
It is only nine meaningless games that Anderson is going to miss so it isn’t that big of a deal. It is also a move that we saw coming once the White Sox ruined their chances of making the postseason. It is still sad to know that we won’t see him again until the spring.
Anderson finishes what was an All-Star season with a slash line of .301/.339/.395 for an OPS of .734. He hit six home runs, had 25 RBIs, and 50 runs scored during his 79 games played.
Tim Anderson is done for the season according to Miguel Cairo.
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) September 27, 2022
The Chicago White Sox needs Tim Anderson healthy in order to be an elite team.
They aren’t bad numbers by any means (his first-half numbers made him an All-Star Game starter) but they are a bit down for the standard that Tim Anderson has set for himself. It would be nice for him to get back to his elite level in 2023.
Anderson also struggled with his defense at times during the season. It got better as the year went on but the White Sox need a better effort going forward. This is going to be a big offseason for him as he looks to get paired big in the coming years.
This is one of the most important players in the organization. When he is at his best, he is one of the faces of the game. He needs to get back to that level and the White Sox will start to have better showings as a result. Everyone should have all the faith in the world in this guy.
When 2023 comes around, you can expect an angry motivated version of Tim Anderson as he is certainly not going to be happy with how this year went. It is sad that he is down for the rest of 2022 but 2023 could end up making it worth it.