Chicago Sports

CHICAGO — White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson left Sunday’s game against the Cubs after fielding a ground ball in the top of the fifth inning.

Anderson, 29, fell to the ground after throwing catcher PJ Higgins out at first base. He limped off the field with the help of the White Sox training staff with an apparent leg or groin injury.

Anderson went 1 for 2 with a first-inning single and ranks among the league leaders with a .356 batting average.

Anderson is hitting .356 as an offensive catalyst for the second place Sox who are in the midst of another injury riddled season. The team is currently without stars Luis Robert (COVID-19), Eloy Jimenez (hamstring), Yoan Moncada (hip) and starter Lance Lynn (knee). In fact, Jimenez had to leave is first rehab game in the minors on Saturday.

Infielder Danny Mendick replaced Anderson at shortstop.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was helped off the field after straining his right groin Sunday making a throw to first base from the outfield grass.

Anderson went down on the outfield grass after throwing out Cubs catcher P.J. Higgins in the fifth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Moving to his left, Anderson threw across his body and reached for the inside of his upper right leg.

Anderson was replaced at shortstop by Danny Mendick. It was the latest in a rash of injuries suffered by the Sox this season.

Anderson singled and stole second base in the first inning Sunday. He is batting .356 for a team that has struggled to score runs and had just one hit — Anderson’s single leading off the game against Marcus Stroman.

The game was tied at 0-0 through five innings.

The Sox have five key players on the injured list: Right-handers Joe Kelly (right hamstring strain) and Lance Lynn (right knee surgery), left-hander Garrett Crochet (Tommy John surgery) and outfielders EloyJim?nez (right hamstring tendon tear) and Luis Robert (COVID).

Yoan Moncada has missed the last three games with a sore right quad.

The Sox open a six-game road trip Tuesday in Toronto. The trip continues to Tampa for another series against a good American League Central team.

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Navigating 11 games in nine days was always going to be a challenge for the Cubs. Their starting pitching situation got a little more complicated on Sunday as they placed lefty Wade Miley on the 15-day injured list with what they called a left shoulder strain.

Miley, who called the issue “dead arm,” something he was familiar with from spring training progressions past, had hoped to avoid the IL and start next week. But after Miley’s pregame work Sunday, the Cubs made the roster move, retroactive to Thursday.

“He’ll be back soon,” Ross said. “I’m not too worried.”

This will be Miley’s second IL stint, after he started the season sidelined by left elbow soreness. In between, he’s made three starts (1-0, 3.38 ERA), highlighted by seven shutout innings against the Pirates.

“You certainly hope that this is something he can get out of quickly,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Saturday. “But we don’t want it to creep up all year.”

In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. from Triple-A. The Cubs have only announced one starter, Drew Smyly, for their double header Monday against the Brewers. But Leiter could be a natural fit.

Cubs right-hander Keegan Thompson likely won’t be available Monday, after throwing 77 pitches in his start Saturday, holding the White Sox to one run through five innings in the Cubs’ 5-1 win.

Ross said Thursday that top pitching prospect Caleb Kilian wasn’t in the conversation to start either of the Cubs’ doubleheaders this week, and he confirmed Sunday that nothing had changed.

“Caleb has been fantastic ever since we got him,” Hoyer said, noting that the Cubs have ramped him up slowly because of his Fall League workload. “And I don’t think his development is done yet. There are more steps, and there’s probably development that will happen when he gets up here. We’ve had good conversations with him about his timeline. I think he knows where things are and where things stand.

Cubs southpaw Justin Steel and right-hander Kyle Hendricks are scheduled to take the mound Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Suzuki out of lineup for second game

Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki played catch and was scheduled to hit in the batting cages before the game Saturday.

He’s been out of the lineup for two games with a sprained left ring finger. But Ross said if Suzuki felt good enough running through pregame tests to pinch hit that he’d be available off the bench.

“If not,” Ross added, “we’ll pivot to tomorrow and go from there.”

Martin to bereavement list

The Cubs placed reliever Chris Martin on the bereavement list shortly before the game Saturday. They did not make a corresponding roster move.

Heyward around clubhouse

Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward held the clubhouse door open for a couple teammates Sunday morning, saying, “Players first.”

On the IL with no designation (indicating a COVID-19 related move), Heyward was cleared to rejoin the team this weekend, but the Cubs have yet to activate him.

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CHICAGO — White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson left Sunday’s game against the Cubs after fielding a ground ball in the top of the fifth inning.

Anderson, 29, fell to the ground after throwing catcher PJ Higgins out at first base. He limped off the field with the help of the White Sox training staff with an apparent leg or groin injury.

Anderson went 1 for 2 with a first-inning single and ranks among the league leaders with a .356 batting average.

Anderson is hitting .356 as an offensive catalyst for the second place Sox who are in the midst of another injury riddled season. The team is currently without stars Luis Robert (COVID-19), Eloy Jimenez (hamstring), Yoan Moncada (hip) and starter Lance Lynn (knee). In fact, Jimenez had to leave is first rehab game in the minors on Saturday.

Infielder Danny Mendick replaced Anderson at shortstop.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Outfielder Nelson Velazquez is being called up to the show on Sunday. According to multiple reports, the Chicago Cubs are set to promote Velazquez to the big leagues after his hot start to the season.

After a big 2021 in the Arizona Fall League, the prospect continued that momentum into 2022 starting the year at Double-A Tennessee where he hit 9 home runs and posted a 1.094 OPS. After just 22 games, he received the promotion to Triple-A Iowa where he had 3 home runs and an OPS of .705.

Now, he gets an early look at the big leagues with the chance to impress the organization.

The Cubs placed reliever Chris Martin on the bereavement list plus have an open spot for Monday’s double-header, which would make sense for Velazquez to come up. The Cubs have yet to make an official announcement.

Make sure to check out our Cubs forum for the latest on the team.

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White Sox manager Tony La Russa said Eloy Jimenez “felt a tug” in the area of his surgically repaired torn tendon on a swing Saturday night, causing him to exit his first rehabilitation game for Triple-A Charlotte after two at-bats.

“I talked to [Sox trainer James] Kruk. It’s not perfect, it’s not what you would hope,” La Russa said Sunday, “but it still doesn’t change the expectation that he’s healing and on his way. Just have to be careful with him.”

The hope that Jimenez would need about 10 days before returning to the team has been dashed.

“It might [mean more time],” La Russa said. “He may not play for a day or two, I think.”

The official word from the Sox is that Jimenez left the game with right hamstring soreness. A day or two seemed highly optimistic, especially after La Russa allowed that Jimenez is “just not completely 100 percent yet.”

“The way [Kruk] described it, it felt like it’s just part of the healing,” La Russa said.

La Russa said he knew Jimenez, who had worked with Sox for about three weeks before going to Charlotte, would be eager to return as soon as possible, especially with the team struggling to score runs.

“I had to stand on a chair to get my arm around his neck and squeeze to tell him, ‘Look, there’s too much at stake here for you to rush yourself,’ ” La Russa said. “And you don’t want to get hurt again, do you?’ With that big smile, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Quit smiling, because it’s serious.’ And he couldn’t quit smiling, you know him. So I think it’s a good sign. He knows what he feels, and we have to rely on it.”

No definite return for day Moncada

Yoan Moncada was out of the lineup with a sore quad and, after the off day Monday, might not be ready Tuesday, the first day of a road trip in Toronto and Tampa.

“Our expectation is — and we’re hopeful — that he would be able to play Tuesday,” La Russa said. “But he doesn’t feel right yet, so it may not be Tuesday.”

Moncada has played in only 14 games due to an oblique injury and the quad issue and is batting .136/.177/.254 with two homers in 14 games.

Leury Garcia didn’t start for the second straight night with soreness in his hip area.

Robert possible for Toronto

In better injury-related news, center fielder Luis Robert made significant process and seemed a decent bet to come off the COVID-19 related list.

“He’s made that much of an improvement,” La Russa said.

Robert, who went on the IL Monday, is still feeling some fatigue when he works.

“Just got to eyeball him and see where he is,” La Russa said.

“Hopefully we get the green light and he can work out here in the morning before we take off.”

Lynn starts for Charlotte

Lance Lynn is beginning a rehab assignment today with Charlotte, starting for the Knights against the Durham Bulls.

Lynn said he would need at least three starts before rejoining the team, which could come as soon as June 12 or 13.

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As Day 1 of Sue?os Music Festival drew to a close, festival-goers couldn’t help but keep the dance party going.

Amid disappointment from some about the layout for VIP and platinum ticket holders and long food and beverage lines, the joy and enthusiasm among fans was unmistakable. There is something very exciting about reggaet?n and Latin trap–genres that have become global sensations over the last few years–being blasted throughout downtown Chicago. You don’t need to understand Spanish to feel the passion and pride of all the music showcased at Sue?os.

Here are some reviews of the closing sets at the first-ever Sue?os Music Festival in Grant Park, Day 1:

Farruko

DJ Fredy Fresco carried Sue?os for a good two and a half hours before Farruko, born and raised in Bayam?n, Puerto Rico, finally took the stage. The 31-year-old reggaetonero first starting rising to popularity after he dropped his first studio album in 2010, “El Talento Del Bloque.” After Jowell & Randy missed their 2:45 set time (the duo’s Joel Mu?oz would later turn up with a solo set), fans hoped Farruko would set the mood for the rest of the night, but Farruko’s lack of energy was disappointing.

We can’t kick off the summer without hearing “Pepas,” a song dedicated to festivals like Sue?os where attendees are encouraged to keep the party going all night long. Fans seemed to lose their minds to this one, singing along with Farruko and pumping their fists.

But overall, he kept it short and sweet, and played all of his recent hits including “Pa’ Romper la Discoteca.” There was nothing particularly remarkable about his set, but as a superstar with plenty of respect on his name, Farruko made Sue?os feel like it was finally starting to boil up.

Myke Towers

If there’s anything that Myke Towers is good at — besides music — it’s his ability to flirt with his audience. Drawing in one of the biggest crowds of the day, the Puerto Rican rapper, singer and songwriter

delivered a vibe that felt like the early 2000s era of Latin music.

Speaking of which, Towers wore a patterned jacket on stage and a gold chain and watch. He’s a sweet-talking pretty boy, and before he dove into his set, he asked the ladies in the audience: “Chicago, are there faithful women here?”

Myke Towers continued seducing his fans on “Ella No Es Tuya” and “Si Se Da” before he gave it his all on “Diosa,” which is a song about the woman of his dreams.

His flirtatious set came to a close with one final song, “La Curiosidad.” Towers couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask: “Are any curious women here?”

El Alfa

The hilarious and iconic El Alfa, nicknamed “El Jefe” (“The Boss”), is well-known for collaborating with Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny on “La Romana” and “Dema Ga Ge Gi Go Gu.” The Dominican rapper brought the energy up and deserves an award for giving festival-goers the best performance of the night.

Sporting a retro Cubs hat, El Alfa was clearly happy to be in Chicago.

Now, would it really be an El Alfa performance if he didn’t play “La Mam? de la Mam??” He went back to this song a couple of times throughout the show and it surprisingly didn’t feel overplayed at all. And fans didn’t miss their chance to break into dance when he sang “Gogo Dance,” which has been made popular on TikTok.

“I’m leaving,” he teased in Spanish before being met with boos from the audience. “I’m proud to be here in Chicago,” said El Alfa, right before finessing another 15 minutes or so of stage time.

“Another one, Chicago?” he asked in Spanish before reprising into “La Mam? de la Mam?” one last time.

Ozuna

Saturday’s headliner was none other than Ozuna, and he delivered hit after hit while holding a double-sided flag. One side featured the Dominican flag, an homage to his father, and the other featured the Puerto Rican flag, in honor of his mother.

Ozuna took us back to summer 2016 with “Dile Que Tu Me Quieres” after playing his most popular songs, “T? Foto,” “Se Prepar?” and “El Farsante.” The throwback was much-needed, especially after the last two summers have been tainted with COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. With Ozuna, everything is OK again.

Halfway through the set, Ozuna made sure to greet the audience with a warm, reassuring smile. “How could I start the show without saying ‘buenas noches?’ “

Ozuna’s style is unique, and that showed through his Sue?os set as he made sure to incorporate just a little bit of everything. He’s a very well-rounded artist, especially as he is able to incorporate elements of rock by having an electric guitar back him up on several of his closing songs.

Fireworks went off during “Te Bot?” — yet another nod to before the city went on lockdown. Ozuna’s performance was the perfect end to Day 1, thanks to his friendly demeanor and ability to relate to everyone.

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Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer is going to get the question plenty in the coming months and years: Is this a rebuild?

Fans and media members already know the answer.

“If you want to label it that, that’s your job,” Hoyer said before the Cubs beat the White Sox 5-1 on Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field. “My job is to tell you what our plan is.”

He’s right, that is our jobs as journalists, analysts or pundits.

It is, by definition, a rebuild. The Cubs tore down their last championship team — leaving only Willson Contreras, Kyle Hendricks and Jason Heyward on the roster this year — and are building anew.

Whether or not this transition qualifies as rebuilding, retooling or something else is a silly debate. They’re all the same thing, really, describing varying degrees of the same process. What we’re really trying to pin down is how long is it going to be before the Cubs are competitive again? Or, do the fans deserve better after sitting through something similar a decade ago?

A label doesn’t answer those questions.

Just as silly is Hoyer’s reluctance to utter the word, except to say he doesn’t know what a rebuild is.

Maybe that’s because he knows how charged the word is, not just describing a step in a process but implying a whole host of other things about an organization’s budget and priorities. Free agents and current players are listening.

So is the Cubs’ fan base, which is experiencing deja vu from the early years of the Theo Epstein/Hoyer era. At that point the promise of the lovable losers climbing into championship contention sounded sweet. But those teams — winning a World Series and making the payoffs in five of six years — also raised the bar.

“I think what we achieved was it burned incredibly bright, but it was probably for a shorter amount of time than we had hoped,” Hoyer said. “And we ended up trading those guys away and getting assets that we’re really excited about for our future.”

Cubs fans have every right to want more from their large-market team. And Hoyer doesn’t have to call this a rebuild for fans to see what it is.

Before Saturday’s game, Hoyer was introspective on the subject.

“If people don’t feel like we’re being as transparent [as in 2012], I have to own that, and I have to think about our messaging,” Hoyer said.

To be fair, Hoyer’s nowhere near the first sports executive to shy away from the word “rebuild.”

Citing competitive reasons, Hoyer’s outline of the Cubs’ plan forward has its limits. But so far it also has been entirely accurate.

When he said the Cubs were keeping one eye on the present and one on the future, they didn’t go for what amounted to a one-year deal for top free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa. Instead, their biggest deal brought in outfielder Seiya Suzuki for five years and $85 million (before the posting fee).

Hoyer stands by his assertion last year that this process wouldn’t be 2012 and 2013 all over again — the same blueprint probably wouldn’t work twice. But there are similarities.

“When [making moves for the present and future] are in conflict, we are going to look towards the future,” Hoyer said. “I think our goal is to build something really special, just like it was last time. And I think sometimes to do that you have to take a long view.”

He added: “How you guys choose to label that, I think that’s your decision.”

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Right-hander Keegan Thompson did his part to keep the sluggish White Sox offense in the doldrums, pitching five innings of one-run ball and the Cubs pinned five runs on veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto in a 5-1 victory Saturday before a sellout crowd of 37,820 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel each drove in two runs for the Cubs.

The Cubs capitalized in the first inning when Wisdom’s catchable pop fly with two outs behind first baseman Jose Abreu dropped in short right field for an RBI double. Frank Schwindel then scored Wisdom with a single.

Nico Hoerner and Rafael Ortega singled to start the second and Hoerner scored on Andrelton Simmons’ ground out to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

Cueto, who logged a pair of scoreless six-run starts in his first two games for the Sox, pitched into the seventh inning, when he gave up two more runs. Simmons led off with a single and went to third on Willson Contreras’ double. After an intentional walk to Ian Happ, Wisdom beat out a double play to score a run and Schwindel singled home the Cubs’ fifth run.

Jake Burger homered for the second time since getting recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Monday. The Sox were denied a run in the second when the slow footed Yasmani Grandal was thrown out easily at home on Burger’s single to Ortega in right field.

The Sox (22-23) swept the Cubs (19-26) in a two-game series at Wrigley Field May 3-4. The two teams have their final meeting of the season Sunday afternoon.

Making his third spot start, Thompson (5-0, 1.58 ERA) gave up five hits and walked one while striking out four. Thompson is one of four NL. pitchers with an ERA below 2.00 with at least

35 innings. The others are the Cardinals’ Miles Mikolas (1.96 ERA in 55 innings), the Padres’ Joe Musgrove (1.90 ERA in 52) and the Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin (1.62 ERA in 39).

Cueto (0-1, 2.41) gave five runs on nine hits and three walks. He struck out two. He threw 98 pitches.

Adam Engel made the defensive play of the game, leaping above the center field fence to rob Contreras of a homer in the ninth.

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Fifteen people were injured, one of them seriously, when a boat caught on fire at a marina Saturday afternoon in Seneca, about 70 miles southwest of Chicago.

Authorities responded to a call that a boat with 17 passengers had burst into flames about 4:30 p.m. at the Spring Brook Marina in the 600 block of West River Drive, according to Illinois State Police.

One person was airlifted to a hospital in serious condition, state police said. Fourteen others, including a marina employee, were taken to hospitals with injuries that weren’t believed to be life-threatening.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.

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