“The good news is that it could be worse,” woof. That comment was made by White Sox manager Tony La Russa this past Tuesday when he was asked about the Tim Anderson injury.
After an MRI, Anderson was officially diagnosed with a strained right groin and is expected to miss at least three weeks because of it. It’s certainly a tough blow for the Chicago White Sox who are currently 23-25 at this point in the season.
Tim Anderson’s injury occurred last Sunday during the fifth-inning in a Crosstown Classic game against the Chicago Cubs. While the Sox ultimately won that game, we’re sure they’d trade that win in the record book to have Anderson not go down at all. So, on that note, here are seven reasons the White Sox will miss Tim Anderson during his injury.
We Need His Bat
First and foremost, the White Sox need Tim Anderson’s bat in the lineup. Badly. Despite all the talent, the team’s offense is performing like one of the worst in the league with the fourth-worst scoring output among all MLB teams. Anderson’s bat was a bright-spot in a stagnant offensive unit, posting a statline of .356/.393/.503 with 5 home runs. The three weeks are going to drag on if someone else doesn’t step up to the plate.
His Glove Is Just As Important
Another equally important part to Tim Anderson’s game is his defense. The shortstop is a valuable piece to any team’s infield, and with the Tim Anderson injury, the White Sox will need to find a way to replace him without causing too many defensive headaches. Given the value of the position, it’s highly likely that they turn towards a more gl0ve-first player. But, unfortunately, that means the offensive return might suffer. With Tim, it’s the best of both worlds.
Anderson Is A Leader
It’s no secret that Tim Anderson is the most important leader in the White Sox dugout. The almost 29-year-old shortstop has earned that designation after sticking with the franchise through their rebuild. And now, in his seventh Major League season, he’s the top guy in the clubhouse. Fortunately, they aren’t completely without their fearless leader. ESPN reported that Anderson is traveling with the White Sox on their road trip, so the team will have some of that TA7 energy with them.
He Brings The Energy
That TA7 energy is another reason the White Sox will miss Tim Anderson during his injury. Everyone’s seen all the highlights of Tim on the field, and what typically comes with those highlights is an equal amount of celebrating and jawing. The guy adds a new level of excitement to the game that few bring to the field.
The Sox Are Struggling As Is
Like we’ve said before, the White Sox are off to a bit of a slow start in 2022. Now, it’s not the worst start in the world being at .500. But for a team with expectations and dreams as big as the Sox have, it’s not the best either. While it’s true that you can point to a whole list of reasons like the delayed start, injuries, and whatnot, at the end of the day, those are all just excuses. Every team is playing the same 9 innings we are, and no one is completely at full strength. All we can do is quote La Russa at this point, “… it could be worse.”
We Need Healthy Starters
Joe Kelly. Lance Lynn. Dylan Cease. Eloy Jimenez. Yoan Moncada. And now, Tim Anderson. The Chicago White Sox are pretty beat-up a month into their 2022 season. So now, with Anderson out of the lineup, the matter only gets worse. Anderson is expected to return fairly quickly compared to some of the other guys *knock on wood*. Plus, their pitching rotation expects to be back at full-strength sooner rather than later. It’s only a matter of time before we start to creep up on the Twins in the standings.
Two Words: Bat Flips
The final reason that the Tim Anderson injury stings for us White Sox fans, is Anderson’s bat flips. Like that TA7 energy we talked about before, the bat flips Tim brings to the game are second-to-none. The offense, defense, leadership, energy, and bat flips, they all make Tim Anderson the special player he is. Despite how savage they are, we’d trade all the bat flips in the world to see TA7 return right away and remain healthy for the remainder of this season and his career.
Baseball gods, do your thing!
Featured Image Credit: Chicago White Sox Instagram
