White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson has been served a one-game suspension for making an obscene gesture towards the fans at Progressive Field, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Anderson apologized for the gesture. He’s appealing as well, so the suspension will not occur right away. Let’s stay in Cleveland for a few other updates…
- The Athletic’s Zack Meisel thinks the Guardians are probably done handing out extensions for now. Shane Bieber is the big name remaining without an extension, with Franmil Reyes often mentioned as another player on that hypothetical list, despite his slow start to the season. Both Bieber and Reyes are set to enter free agency following the 2024 season.
- On another payroll note, starter Zach Plesac is making $2MM this season, despite still being a year shy of arbitration. The contract is the result of a league and union decision stemming from the Guardians’ treatment of Plesac after he violated the team’s COVID protocols in 2020. The Guardians can certainly afford the small bump in payroll, as they’re still well under $80MM in terms of total contributions for the season.
- Cal Quantrill has been cleared to return from the COVID-19 list and he will start today’s ballgame, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com (via Twitter). Tanner Tully will head back to Triple-A to make room on the active roster, notes Meisel (via Twitter). Tully tossed two innings in last night’s loss, serving up one earned run on two hits and a walk.
“I’m really sorry for what I did. Also, I never did it, so I’m appealing the suspension.”
Seems like that should be a short hearing.
He likely accepts the one-game suspension long before the hearing. This way he gets to pick the game he sits.
LaRussa: Timmy, we’re in a long stretch of games here so I’m giving you tomorrow off.
Anderson: Ok. Might be a good time to notify the Commissioner’s office I’m dropping my appeal.
My guess is he drops the appeal for one of the upcoming Royals games.
This is exactly it. It is very rarely the players decision to appeal. They already have his off day scheduled on the calendar. He will drop the appeal right before it
Timmy we need somebody in the lineup that won’t make 3 errors tonight, time to serve your suspension…
Could be saying he was wrong but that it only deserves a fine, not a suspension.
But I’m inclined to agree with the suggestion that it is a tactic to pick the game he will miss.
What courage, tell the world you have to learn then appeal the decision.
Or just appealing whether it’s a suspendable offense. I’m guessing that’s just standard union procedure as opposed to a denial. It’s on camera.
Hopefully any suspension Anderson serves will be before Cleveland plays the Sox again.
The way he misplays and boots the ball around trying to play SS is always good for some undeserved / unearned runs – not to mention tiring the Sox pitchers out. (Although that can be said for at least 4-5 other Sox players as well).
Who cares, it’s hard to name anyone on this team that is capable of playing decent defense, except Robert.
Adam Engel is an elite outfielder. Robert looks good in his uniform.
Someone walk me through the Plesac thing. Are they saying he’s getting paid more than a pre arb player usually gets because he violated COVID rules?
Sounds like the answer is yes.
Maybe somebody can clarify, but I’m under the impression that, because he didn’t break the current (at the time) CDC guidelines–which had changed that day, I believe–the MLB didn’t feel it was fair or appropriate for Cleveland to place him on the restricted list then option him to the alternate site. I’m not sure if he lost salary somehow, but that’s the way I’m understanding this… which could be completely wrong.
The Plesac reference requires an explanation or a link for further information.
My guess is that if Cleveland hadn’t penalized him for violating Covid rules he would have qualified as a super-2 arbitration case. Like Cal Quantrill, he would have gone through arbitration even though he had yet to serve a full three years in the big leagues. That is why he gets the $2 million rather than $700,000.
You’re probably right regarding that. Which also makes the Guardians’ methods somewhat suspect. Seems the union called their bluff, which is what a good union should do.
yes, that is it. it was mentioned in the articles on the optioning at the time.
From what was publicized, the clubhouse leaders (namely Lindor and Oliver Perez) were pissed about the infractions. The players likely had major input on the punishment. Also worth noting is that Clevinger (who was not pre-arb, like Plesac) received the same exact treatment. I don’t think service time had any impact on the decision but it clearly had an impact on Plesac. Good thing they were able to just settle it.
Well hindsight is 20-20 but at the time of the “infraction” they were treated harshly when looking back it’s all such a mess.
Good. Covid is the flu
I believe when they sent him down he lost service time that would have made him arbitration eligible sooner. So he gets paid more, but they keep the extra service time as a way of meeting in the middle? I’m just guessing, but only thing I can think of
At the time, it looked like Cleveland may have used the broken protocol to manipulate his service time. His numbers were great, and there was no other reason to keep him from the major league club for as long as they did.
That’s a really interesting tidbit about Plesac. While what he did was a bit irresponsible, they also put him through the ringer, so I’m not surprised.
He’s so irresponsible living his life during Covid.
Doesn’t he watch the news?
Tim Anderson needs to wake up and smell the coffee. The White Sox have been stinking it up all week.
He’s not playing any different on defense, than Abreu, Garcia, Moncada, Grandal, or Eloy plays every day of the season. Why single Anderson out?
I understand that the White Sox are not a great defensive team. But he’s had something like 4 errors in the last 3 games. It’s time to cinch it up and hunker down.
Because the article is about Anderson and none of those other guys….?
The MLPA, always thinking of how they can express their appreciation to the fans. Up yours, Timmy.
Send him to triple a. Surely worse than hitting a home run off a position player?
Sox probably wish he’d have taken that 1 game suspension yesterday.
Hoping Tanner Tully gets another shot later this summer. I went to the same high school as him. In the state championship his senior year, he hit a lead off home run, and threw a 13 strikeout, complete game shutout, in a 1-0 victory. Pretty cool.
TA only played 120 games last year, so he has 2 suspension days from last year and one pending now. This is the hyped up face of the franchise the White Sox want to promote as a role model. On April 30, 2019 he called an opposing white pitcher the N word, didn’t apologize then during the same week claimed he was the NEW Jackie Robinson. TA has hidden psychological problems and is a volatile and potential disruption to the teams hopes this year. I would tell him, look !, we are not changing the game for you, we are going to change the shortstop if you miss any more games with your reactions to negative fans which ALL Players face and handle it better. It’s called being a well paid ballplayer. Why the White Sox keep putting up with his nonsense is ridiculous. There have been other ballplayers who have transitioned to playing the outfield and have become Hall of Famers. Robin Yount for one. Why can’t he accept being an MVP outfielder, he is not a shortstop. Never was , 120 errors in the minors and the Sox still moved him to the big leagues. Don’t change the game, change the shortstop.
If Tim gets suspended, maybe they can get an error free game at SS for once… I like Anderson, but I think he’s starting to believe his own hype (same with some other players on this roster from the looks of it).. If I was a manager, 3 errors in a game would get you benched for about 7 games. Instead he is out there to blow it again for this club. However Tim is just the tip of the iceberg of issues for this ‘championship caliber’ team. Pitching has been OK, often fails (or makes their own mess) when really really needed and even though the BP is pretty good now (minus ‘Heart Attack’ Hendriks), all these innings now will matter later in the season. The vaunted ‘offense’ cannot seem to be found if the temp is under 60-70 degrees. Unfortunately for the Sox, barring heatwaves (or playing on the West coast, which the Sox cannot do anyway), most play off games are held when it gets to around those temps. Stupid errors, dumb base-running mistakes (by veterans of the game no less), the repeated inability to drive in a run from scoring position with less than two outs, and a manager more interested in copping ‘Zsss’ (same can be said for Katz when his pitcher cannot find the strike zone) instead of managing this club and its players, (which desperately needs it). Never mind the bargain basement shopper in Hahn and company upstairs ‘fixing’ RF, 2nd, and the rotation with a bunch of fillers instead of A quality talent. I get its early in the season, but I do not hold out much hope if you get wiped out by a supposedly rebuilding Cleveland team and have such a silly loss to the Twins… Playing from behind is not what championship caliber teams do, they win and get ahead of the bunch. I have no faith in this team ‘finding it’ and then going on a run because it really looks like they have no heart or will to win, and have not for the past 2 seasons (when they should be ‘winning it all’.).
Everybody knew Sox had defense problems and Hahn did nothing about it. Many have watched TA play and know he is not a shortstop, he could be an MVP Outfielder but his ego is constantly stroked by Sox management. At times he is late to the bag on double play balls, and stands flat footed on the bag thinking he can just flipped the ball to first and can’t catch a speedy runner. This doesn’t show up in stats when you are late with the relay throw. So his play at the position is worse than the stats. Sox were at the bottom in turning DP’s last year this hurts pitchers who need them to get out of jams. Astros were superior to Sox defensively and Correa’s replacement {Pena) is filling it greatly. TA is a free agent soon, trade him while you can. Who wants to pay a shortstop 200 mil plus when they can’t accurately throw to first. That’s the key job of a shortstop , getting the ball there. Change the Shortstop, not the game. Sox have the worst fielding team in the majors today.