Anderson happy to be back in familiar role
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tim Anderson returned to White Sox camp, a full-time shortstop again after playing second base for the first time in the World Baseball Classic.
“It was cool, but don’t get any ideas!” Anderson joked when asked about playing second.
Sox manager Pedro Grifol said the same thing, a question that came up only because Elvis Andrus is making the transition to second after playing shortstop for every game of his 14-year career.
“Tim’s our every-day shortstop, Elvis our every-day second baseman,” Grifol said Thursday. “If I give a day off to Elvis, somebody else will play second. If I give a day off to Tim, Elvis will play short. That’s a luxury, in my opinion. Not too many teams have two shortstops on the same team with that type of experience.”
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa wanted Anderson’s energy on the field, and Anderson was happy to play second next to Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner, USA’s star in the WBC.
“At first I wasn’t open to it, but I wanted my bat to be in the lineup, so I wanted to play,” Anderson said. “So moving over to second, it wasn’t easy, but I was kind of familiar going over [on that side of the field] in the shift. So it definitely worked out.”
Anderson seems to have an open mind about being more versatile in the future.
“We’ll keep playing our time at short until we see what happens,” he said. “But right now our main focus is getting back over at short, see where that leads me in the next few years. I’ll still be open to second, but once I’m done with short, we’ll see how it goes.”
While Luis Robert returned to the Cactus League lineup upon returning from the WBC, Anderson and Yoan Moncada will resume playing Friday, Grifol said.
Sickly start for Kopech
Scheduled for four innings, Michael Kopech lasted only three-plus, walking four and allowing seven hits, including a threerun homer to Will Wilson. Kopech was charged with five runs. Fighting an upperrespiratory issue, Kopech’s voice was hoarse discussing his outing.
“Thought I’d work through it and get my work in,” Kopech said. “Timing just wasn’t there, trying to find it the whole outing.”
Four homers for Seby
No. 2 catcher Seby Zavala hit his fourth homer of the spring, tying Jake Burger for the team lead. Zavala connected against left-hander Sean Manaea.
“When I’m balanced, it’s better,” Zavala said. “If I’m balanced when I start my load, when I finish my load, I can see the ball better. If I’m under the baseball, I can make an adjustment and get on top, whatever I need to do to win that at-bat.
“Being balanced is the only thing I worry about.”
This and that
First baseman Andrew Vaughn, who hasn’t played since March 12 because of lower back soreness, will test his back in a minor-league game Friday.
✦ With the full squad intact now that the Sox’ WBC participants have returned to camp, Grifol said the biggest days of spring training are Thursday and Friday as the Sox “ramp up the intensity and fundamentals.”