Camila Sosa
Chicago White Sox star shortstop Tim Anderson will not be playing with the team when the 2022 Major League Baseball campaign begins as he must pay a pending suspension from last season.
As reported by Anderson himself on his Twitter account, the MLB office suspended him for two engagements in addition to fining him $10,000.
Anderson was initially suspended for three games, however, upon appeal and after reaching an agreement with the league, the suspension was reduced.
The Major League Baseball commissioner’s office punished the 28-year-old after an incident on September 27, the final game of the season for the White Sox and Detroit Tigers, when Anderson made physical contact with umpire Tim Tim Timmons in the middle of a fight between the two teams.
In the ninth inning, the dugouts emptied out after Whitefoot first baseman José Abreu and Tigers shortstop Niko Goodrum exchanged words when Abreu was put out trying to steal second base.
Previously, Abreu had been hit in the left elbow by pitcher Alex Lange, something that did not please the Cuban and for which manager Tony La Russa had to go out to calm him down. With Abreu already in the first base and Yasmani Grandal batting, the former came out to steal the middle and entered quite dangerously over the body of Goodrum, who was covering shortstop.
Tempers immediately flared, including those of Tim Anderson, who did not see action in that game and ran out of the Chicago clubhouse in the middle of the fight. Between pushing and shouting, the shortstop went on top of Tim Timmons, with whom he made contact and for which he was immediately put out.
Tim Anderson’s Contribution to the White Sox
Although he will only be absent for two games, in recent seasons Tim Anderson has become one of the pillars of the Chicago White Sox’ good performances.
Since 2019 Anderson has been one of the most dangerous hitters in the American and that season he finished as the leading hitter in all of the Major Leagues by averaging for .335. In the short season of 2020 he batted .322, taking the American Silver Bat at the shortstop position, while last year he hit .309.
But Anderson doesn’t hit just for average. Only once since 2017 has he hit fewer than 15 home runs (10 in the short 2020 campaign) and he totals 91 stolen bases in his six seasons in the circuit.
