MINNEAPOLIS — Shortstop Tim Anderson was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball Friday for his inappropriate actions towards fans during the White Sox’ game on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.

The suspension had been scheduled to be served Friday when the White Sox opened a three-game series at Target Field in Minnesota, but Anderson has elected to appeal.

During the eighth inning Wednesday, Anderson appeared to let a heckler get the best of him and was seen on the TV broadcast raising a middle finger toward the stands on the third base side. Anderson made three errors during the first two innings.

He declined comment when approached about that Thursday.

“Move forward, flush it, keep growing and learning and try to make today better than yesterday,” Anderson said.

Anderson made five errors in the two games he played in during the three-game series. The fifth error was added Friday after a scoring change on a play in which Josh Naylor reached third base on a ground ball to Anderson. It was originally ruled a fielder’s choice.

It would be Anderson’s third career suspension. He served two games the first two games of the season for bumping an umpire late last season.

Robert avoids IL

AJ Pollock returned to the lineup, taking the place of center fielder Luis Robert, who will likely miss the Twins series but could return to the lineup early next week, manager Tony La Russa said.

Pollock was reinstated from the injured list after suffering a hamstring strain during the Sox’ opening series against the Tigers.

Robert pulled up after running out a ground ball in the eighth inning Thursday in Cleveland.

“I would think he won’t play these three [in Minnesota] La Russa said. “Off day Monday [when the Sox open a home stand against the Royals]. If we can play him Tuesday and not lose him for 10 days, it’s huge.

“He did the MRI and that’s what we hoped for — it looked minor. He felt a little tug and he stopped, so he didn’t run through it.”

Pollock, acquired from the Dodgers on April 1 in a trade for right-hander Craig Kimbrel, landed on the IL on April 12 (retroactive to April 10) with a strained right hamstring. He got his rehab at-bats at the spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz.

Foster on family leave list

Right-hander Matt Foster was placed on the family medical leave list, making room on the roster for Pollock. Foster owns a 1.42 ERA with five strikeouts in five relief appearances covering 5 1/3 innings. Foster has contributed to a bullpen that has allowed four runs on 12 hits over 23 innings (1.57 ERA) in the Sox’ last five road games through Thursday.

Harrison “thankful”

Josh Harrison (shoulder) continues to get treatment and said he was hopeful of playing Saturday. Harrison said the ‘snow angel’ he did in the outfield grass after an acrobatic tumble over Andrew Vaughn and a running catch in short left field in Cleveland Wednesday was a “sigh of relief, a thank God.”

“I envisioned myself or Vaughn or both of us getting carted off,” he said. “It could have been worse.”

*Yoan Moncada (oblique) worked up a sweat taking a healthy amount of swings in the cage, then fielded ground balls.

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There will probably only be one Jake Arrieta in Cubs history. But Arrieta’s success as a struggling pitcher whose career flourished with a “change of scenery” breathes life into every hopeful who follows him on the North Side.

Left-hander Sean Newcomb is the latest hopeful to take that path to success with the Cubs. A 2014 first-round draft pick who once was a promising starter on the Braves — one strike from a no-hitter against the Dodgers in 2018. But he grew stale in the Braves organization as he struggled in recent years and is looking to recapture that lost form with the Cubs after being traded for Jesse Chavez.

Newcomb had a 6.45 ERA in three appearances (five innings) through the Braves’ first 13 games this season — allowing a run or more in each appearance.

“I was not pitching as much as I wanted to,” Newcomb said Friday. “I guess I’d say there’s a bunch of talent there, a bunch of good arms. This new opportunity, kind of just a new perspective from the coaching staff [could make a difference]. Just a bunch of little things.”

Newcomb said his demise with the Braves was not a physical issue. His stuff is just as good as it was when he was 8-2 with a 2.71 ERA in the first half of 2018 and 6-3 with a 3.16. ERA as primarily a reliever in 2019.

“I feel physically as good as I ever have,” Newcomb said. “It’s just getting my confidence and feel back. Pitching a lot helps that. I was kind of trapped [with the Braves]. I’d throw once a series, throw an inning or so. If I can hopefully get more innings, just get my confidence and feel back and get back to where I was a few years ago, I’d be happy with that.”

Frazier out with appendicitis

Outfielder Clint Frazier, the former Yankee signed as a free agent in the offseason, was put on the 10-day injured list with appendicitis.

The Cubs called up outfielder Alfonso Rivas from Iowa. Rivas made the team out of spring training and went 2-for-4 in two games — after hitting .314 (14-for-44) in 18 games last season.

Mills on the rebound

Right-hander Alec Mills (lower back strain) is schedule for a rehab start for Class AAA Iowa against Louisville on Saturday. Mills, who was 6-7 with 5.07 ERA in 32 games (20 starts) last season, has not pitched this season. He was put on the injured list April 7 (retroactive to April 4).

In other injury updates … Pitcher Wade Miley (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons (shoulder) is throwing and hitting in Arizona.

Caught napping

Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds took advantage of a Cubs defensive shift in the seventh inning Thursday night against Rowan Wick when he not only hit the ball to vacated third base area, but alertly kept on going after beating the throw to second base because no one was covering third base.

“I think the pitcher needs to head over there,” manager David Ross said. “That’s usually the first thing you tell them with that shift on. We got caught “watching the paint dry” as they would say in ‘Hoosiers.'”

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Asked about .143-hitting reserve outfielder Clint Frazier prior to Thursday night’s game against the Pirates, Cubs manager David Ross took the opportunity to politely express his disdain for one of the inherent evils of early season baseball — the small sample size.

“We want to put all these labels on — whether it’s our offense, our defense or our pitching –and we’re still only 11 or 12 games in. I just think that’s unhealthy,” Ross said during the pre-game press conference he holds prior to virtually every game of the 162-game season.

“I’m here to talk about anything you guys [reporters] want to talk about. But just letting these guys continue to figure out roles and figure out how they’re gonna be used … especially guys that have [hit] in the minor leagues pretty consistently like Mike [Hermosillo] or [Frazier], who is used to normal at-bats. It’s an adjustment.But we have to be patient and give them some time, too.”

Preaching patience is a tough chore in a big-league city when every game is analyzed and over-analyzed –by fans, the media and also the team’s own broadcast network.

It’s early. It’s April. The weather in Chicago has been mostly miserable since the start of the season — including Friday night’s game against the Pirates, which was pushed back from a 1:20 p.m. start to 7:05 because of inclement weather. The short spring training after the lockout has put starting pitchers on the shortest leash ever (only once in 13 games has a Cubs starter thrown a pitch in the sixth inning — Kyle Hendricks against the Brewers on Opening Day).

Progress is hard to see on the rebuilding Cubs. On back-to-back nights against the Pirates, they started 31-year-old Mark Leiter, Jr. and 32-year-old Drew Smyly. Their closer is 37-year-old David Robertson. While players Seiya Suzuki (27) and Ian Happ (27) are young, productive players, the Cubs have just two players younger than them — shortstop Nico Hoerner (24) and second baseman Nick Madrigal (25). How many players on the current roster will be on the next Cubs playoff team? “That’s a good question” is the most popular answer.

In a 162-game season, progress is so incremental it’s often hard to identify. But Ross says he sees it.

“A vision is different than what reality is, right?” Ross said. “Can you envision what things will look like? Sure. My mind works in a positive light, too. Things don’t always happen and there’s a lot of adversity that comes in our game. Can I see where things are headed here? Sure. Is that reality? Not yet.”

A rebuild isn’t quite what Ross signed up for when he succeeded Joe Maddon in 2020. But he seems to enjoy the process of managing a developing team. But some of the progress is not visible to the naked eye.

“I get satisfaction out of guys getting better,” Ross said, “whether it’s a skill set, whether they get stronger, faster, the instincts grow. The things we want done around here start to show their face.

I thought last year, just [the] base-running mindset the second half of last year, guys got a lot better on the bases and did a nice job of paying attention. Some guys that were not as good got better.

“I get satisfaction out of guys rootin’ for one another.The vibe in the clubhouse. The vibe in the dugout. Satisfaction from our coaches growing. There’s a lot of satisfaction to be had. At the end of the day it comes down to wins and ultimately how that contributes to wins is what makes me satisfied.”

In that respect, there is still a long way to go. But Ross sees where this team is headed, and believes it’s in the right direction.

“I hope so,” he said. ‘I’m the one leading this group, right?”

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Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson told media Thursday that he was ready to put last season behind him and start fresh with the franchise. The 6-year veteran posted one of his worst seasons statistically in 2021, registering only 49 solo tackles and no interceptions.

The former Alabama product had productive numbers as a rookie in 2017. Jackson put up stellar numbers in 2018 as a turnover machine, with 6 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and scored 3 total touchdowns.

2021 was a struggle for the Bears defense overall, including veterans like Jackson.

“It wasn’t the best at all. You know, I think that was probably one of my worst seasons,” Jackson told the media following the Bears’ last day of voluntary minicamp Thursday. “I gave up too many deep balls”

This year he is working to control what he can, Jackson said, and is improving by buying into the current Bears system and showing up to meetings. Per multiple reports, Jackson missed voluntary practice on Tuesday but was present on Wednesday and Thursday.

Little fixes like attention to detail, breaking on the ball, and paying attention to where his eyes are looking will help, Jackson said.

New head coach Matt Eberflus’s defensive scheme is helping to ease complications on defense compared to last year, Jackson said. He feels like he’s a good fit in the Bears’ plans at the secondary position. “It’s a lot simpler,” he said.

Eberflus told reporters he can see changes in the two-time pro bowl safety.

Let’s hope Jackson returns to his pro bowl form in 2022, that man was a BEAST.

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

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MINNEAPOLIS — AJ Pollock returned to the White Sox lineup Friday, taking the place of center fielder Luis Robert as the team was set to open a three-game series against the Twins in Minneapolis.

Pollock was reinstated from the injured list after suffering a hamstring strain during the Sox’ opening series against the Tigers. Luis Robert suffered a groin pull in the Sox’ 6-3 loss at Cleveland Thursday, the team’s fourth straight defeat, and was unavailable.

Right-hander Matt Foster was placed on the family medical leave list, making room on the roster for Pollock. Foster owns a 1.42 ERA with five strikeouts in five relief appearances covering 5 1/3 innings. Foster has contributed to a bullpen that has allowed four runs on 12 hits over 23 innings (1.57 ERA) in the Sox’ last five road games.

The Sox acquired Pollock from the Dodgers on April 1 in a trade for right-hander Craig Kimbrel. He landed on the IL on April 12 (retroactive to April 10) with a strained right hamstring.He is is 4-for-7 with with a double, RBI and run scored in two games.

Right-hander Michael Kopech (0-0, 1.00) will oppose Twins righty Bailey Ober (1-1, 3.27) in tonight’s game. First pitch is 7:10 p.m.

The Sox lineup:

Anderson ss

Garcia 2b

Abreu 1b

Jimenez dh

Sheets rf

Pollock cf

Vaughn lf

McGuire c

Burger 3b

Kopech p

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