Chicago White Sox rookie thrives in wake of Tim Anderson injury

Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners had another feeling of “here we go again” for Chicago White Sox fans as White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was forced to leave the game early with a shoulder injury.

Anderson’s injury cleared the way for the Major League debut of White Sox infielder Zach Remillard and the timing was perfect.

Remillard was 3-for-3 on the day including a walk and his last hit of the game brought home the game-winning run for the White Sox.

The 29-year-old rookie registered 694 games across the White Sox minor-league system before making his Major League debut on Saturday.

Remillard was never believed to be a top prospect in the White Sox system and even deeming him a prospect may be an over-characterization but he has always shown enough offense to believe he could be a depth piece at the Major League level.

Even when the Chicago White Sox have good news, it comes at the expense of an injury.

In Remillard’s 694 minor league games, he slashed .253/.326/.378/.705.

While Remillard’s debut certainly was memorable, we can’t overlook the reason why he was in the game and that was due to the injury to Anderson.

For Anderson, it was the first game since the 2019 season that he was not in the leadoff spot for the White Sox. That did not provide a cure to the recent rash of mental gaffes for Anderson as he was doubled up on Saturday after failing to return to first base after a stolen base attempt.

The White Sox will likely provide an update on Anderson’s shoulder prior to their game against the Mariners on Sunday but one has to wonder if a trip to the IL will occur regardless.

Anderson, given his performance on the field and events taking place off the field, seems to be in need of a reset. The trip to the IL could serve that purpose and it is not like the White Sox have been winning games with him in the lineup recently.