White Sox Bring Tim Anderson Back From IL, DFA Nick Williams

TA returns from injured list, Sox DFA Nick Williams originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The White Sox returned Tim Anderson from the 10-day injured list Thursday, installing the Silver Slugger shortstop back at the top of their lineup.

Anderson had been sidelined with a strained hamstring suffered in the team’s fourth game of the season. He missed the entirety of the series at the Seattle Mariners and at home against the Kansas City Royals. He returned in time for the finale of the four-game set with the Cleveland Indians.

Anderson, who won the league batting title in 2019 and put up similarly impressive numbers during the shortened 2020 campaign, is obviously huge for the White Sox offense as they try to find some consistency after a hit-or-miss start to the 2021 season. There have been some big outputs – like the six-run first inning Wednesday night against Cleveland – but there have also been plenty of missed opportunities and failures to cash in on scoring chances. Anderson ought to help with that.

While there remains a Silver Slugger sized hole in the middle of the lineup thanks to the injury to Eloy Jiménez, Anderson coming off the IL returns the White Sox to some kind of normalcy, with their All-Star leadoff man – who manager Tony La Russa called the team’s “igniter” – back in the fold.

Asked what that lineup will look like now that he’s back in it, Anderson showed he was a fan of Wednesday’s offensive performance.

It'll look like last night, with a little bit more.”

To make room on the active roster for Anderson, the White Sox designated outfielder Nick Williams for assignment. Williams was brought up last week and made three starts during his brief time with the big league club. He hit the ground ball that Cleveland first baseman threw off Yasmani Grandal’s helmet, leading to a walk-off win Monday night. But he was also the subject of some fan outrage when La Russa chose to give him at-bats instead of giving them to rookie Andrew Vaughn.

Whether Williams stays with the White Sox organization or heads to another team remains to be seen. But La Russa said the South Siders will need depth all year long, an important element as they chase a championship in 2021.

More important, though? Making sure Anderson is at the top of the lineup every day.

Related: Crazy stats from Carlos Rodón's no-hitter

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