MINNEAPOLIS — The injury bug that laid waste to the White Sox’ roster last season was kept at arm’s length.
For all of 11 games.
Shortstop Tim Anderson, expected to miss two to four weeks with a sprained left knee, joined outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jimenez (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday. Reliever Joe Kelly (groin) is on the 15-day IL. And third baseman Yoan Moncada, who missed his second straight game with a sore lower back, won’t return till this weekend at the earliest.
“It’s so frustrating,” Anderson said.
Infielder Lenyn Sosa, recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to take Anderson’s spot on the roster, was on manager Pedro Grifol’s bench against the Twins with Elvis Andrus at shortstop and Romy Gonzalez at second base.
The Sox (5-7) are trying to find some traction after 12 games of sometimes good, sometimes bad pitching, hitting and defensive performances. And now they have to find it without their leadoff man and energizer.
“Next guy up,” said left fielder Andrew Benintendi, who took Anderson’s spot in the lineup. “Everybody in here is a big-league player, so more opportunities for guys to step up.”
A 2019 batting champ and two-time All-Star, Anderson was injured when the Twins’ Matt Wallner slid over him near third base after a poorly executed rundown Monday during the fourth inning of the Sox’ 4-3 victory over the Twins.
Anderson clutched his knee and writhed in pain momentarily but got up and stayed in the game. He exited in the sixth inning when the knee stiffened up.
“You do everything right to try to prevent from creating injury and just something I couldn’t control,” Anderson said. “I just have to roll with it.
“But it definitely sucks because I know that I was doing everything I could. Everybody in the organization knows I was doing everything I could to try to stay healthy, and it just didn’t work out that way.”
Anderson was limited to 79 games last season because of a sagittal band tear on his right middle finger and a groin strain that landed him on the IL. He had played in all 11 games this season and was off to a strong start on both sides of the ball, batting .298/.327/.404 with five doubles and five stolen bases in five attempts.
Of all the Sox’ injuries, Anderson’s is probably the hardest to take, and not just because he’ll be out the longest. The Sox are 150-112 since 2020 when Anderson is in the starting lineup.
Jimenez, who has looked healthy taking batting practice and doing daily work, ran the bases and could return Friday, when the Sox open a three-game home series against the Orioles after a day off.
“He feels good,” Grifol said.
Moncada, though, said missing five or six days was a possibility.
“I started feeling it in spring training during a workout,” said Moncada, who was the all-tournament third baseman in the World Baseball Classic before batting .308/.325/.564 with two home runs and four doubles for the Sox. “I managed to play through it, but it was getting worse until it got to this point.”
Moncada stopped driving the ball in Pittsburgh over the weekend, going hitless in his last 12 at-bats.
“Yes, it’s frustrating because people came to camp feeling good and as a team, too,” he said. “Not even [two weeks] into the season, and we’re having all these injuries. That’s the frustrating part, that we’re not able to contribute.”
The healthy Sox have to guard against trying to do too much. But Grifol said he doesn’t see that happening.
“Guys here are going to step up in absence of guys that are not in the lineup and help us win baseball games,” Grifol said. “That’s what depth does.”
Fingers are crossed.
“The good thing about Timmy is, historically, he’s a fast healer,” Grifol said.
“I’m looking forward to this being no different.”
