Anderson placed on 10-day injured list
Tim Anderson had a breakout 2019 season, leading the majors in batting average.
The White Sox shortstop was off to another strong start this season. But he’ll be out of the lineup for an undetermined amount of time because of a strained right groin.
The Sox placed Anderson on the 10-day injured list before Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
“I was definitely excited to get back out there, but you can only control what you can control,” Anderson said before the game in Kansas City, Mo. “All I can do is continue to work to try to get back and not worry about too much.
“The bat is always going to be there. Just keep working, try to get healthy and get back out there and battle with my teammates.”
Anderson suffered the injury Friday in the Sox’s 3-2 victory against Royals. He slipped while trying to field a couple of grounders. Anderson went 2-for-3 before leaving in the seventh inning.
“It’s definitely frustrating, but it’s a short season,” Anderson said. “I’m not trying to really force anything. There’s only 60 games. … I want to be out there.
“Everybody in this organization knows I want to be out there, but at the end of the day we’ve got to take care of what we’ve got to take care of. I’ll just put myself in the best position moving forward.”
Anderson, who led the majors in 2019 with a .335 average, is 10-for-33 (.333) with four doubles, one home run and one RBI in seven games this season.
“He’s worked extremely hard to make himself who he is,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “We’re going to miss him in this little window, but I’m sure he’s going to do everything he can to work himself back and be ready to go.”
The loss of Anderson opened a door for rookie Luis Robert. The center fielder, who turns 23 on Monday, moved into the leadoff spot. Robert hit in the No. 7 spot the first six games and the No. 6 spot Friday.
He hit a solo home run in the second inning Saturday.
“The approach is the same,” Robert said through an interpreter. “Just be aggressive. Last year (in the minors), I was the leadoff (batter) and I had very good results. There’s no reason for me to change.”
Renteria said he used Robert lower in the lineup to get him acclimated to the big leagues.
“For me, it’s actually an opportunity,” Renteria said before the game. “That window has opened, but this is not a set-in-stone position for him right now. I want to see how he does.”
Anderson’s injury also opens a window for Yermin Mercedes. The catcher joined the Sox from the team’s taxi squad in Schaumburg.
Mercedes, 27, had four home runs and nine RBIs in spring training. He had a .317 average with 23 home runs, 19 doubles and 80 RBIs in 95 games between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2019. He has no major-league experience.
The Washington Nationals originally signed Mercedes as a free agent in 2011. The Sox acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles in the minor-league phase of the 2017 Rule 5 draft. Mercedes has a career .302 average in eight minor-league seasons with the Nationals (2011-13), Orioles (201517) and Sox (2018-2019).
“I’m excited because I waited a long time, long time,” Mercedes said. “I can’t cry right now, I’m excited. I’ve waited a long time, but now I’ve got it.”