Viewed as a player with superstar potential, the Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson may have arrived.
Anderson came into Monday’s games with a batting average of .418. And, as his mini-scrum with the Kansas City Royals last week showed us, Anderson is not about to back down when challenged.
If Anderson and infielder Yoan Moncada are paving the way for a Sox revival, the early-season struggle of Jose Abreu was cause for concern, however, that changed Monday in a 12-2 victory at Balitimore.
Abreu’s .192 average increased to .214 with three hits in six at bats Monday with a home run and four runs batted in.
Anderson’s average was .403 and was the American League leader. The Sox were 9-12 through Monday in fourth place, three games ahead of Kansas City and four games behind first place Minnesota.
The strange saga of Daniel Palka took a downward turn last week.
No sooner did Palka get his first hit of the season last week, a single in a 4-3 Sox loss to Kansas City, and he was off to the minors. A one-for-35 start to the season does make things rough for anyone.
Now with Triple-A Charlotte, Palka, who had 100 hits in a Sox uniform last year, seeks to recover the swing that allowed him to lead the Sox with 27 home runs last season.