Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, out since suffering a left knee injury on April 10, will reportedly begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte this weekend. He was officially placed on the 10-day injury list on April 11.
Anderson, who suffered a knee sprain while attempting to field an errant throw during an attempted force play at third base against the Minnesota Twins, could be reinstated from the injury list in time for a home series against the Twins on May 2.
He was taking ground balls and was doing fielding drills without a knee brace on Monday, at which time Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol told reporters that "he feels good."
Grifol added that he figured Anderson would only require "10-15 at-bats" during the rehab assignment, a total that he could conceivably get over a weekend of minor-league contests.
The Chicago White Sox were 5-6 at the time of Anderson's loss to injury. Without him, the team has won just two games since and fallen to 7-18 on the season after being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Tim Anderson, a .288 career hitter, hit .298 through the first 11 games of the 2023 season. The two-time All-Star has spent his entire career on the south side of Chicago after being selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft.
Tim Anderson assumed the mantle of the team's on-field leader after the free-agency departure of first baseman Jose Abreu to the Houston Astros this past off-season.
As Grifol told reporters about Anderson this week:
"He's the heart and soul of this club. As he goes, we go. He's the energy ... this club plays way better with him than without him."
However, with the Chicago White Sox already seven games out of first place in the American League Central, and just two games away from having the worst record in the majors, many Chicagoans believe that Anderson may be traded away this summer.
Tim Anderson is a vital cog for the Chicago White Sox
As one of the most-tenured members of the White Sox team, Anderson played in every game this season before getting injured.