What Chicago White Sox players had to say about Tuesday’s roster upheaval

CHICAGO — On a cold, cloudy day in the Windy City, somehow there was still plenty of sunshine emanating from the Chicago White Sox clubhouse.

It’s an odd statement to say for a team that just snapped a 10-game winning streak with a come-from-behind win on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays and found itself at 8-21 when May began, 9.0 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central standings. Tuesday, however, not only signaled the beginning of a new month for the Chicago White Sox but also plenty of new faces in the clubhouse who are expected to help the Southsiders break out of their doldrums.

Take a look at the 11 roster moves made by Chicago on Tuesday before taking the field against the Twins to open a three-game set.

Tim Anderson’s return a big topic around Chicago White Sox

Perhaps most notable for Chicago’s immediate future is the return of Tim Anderson from a knee injury that sidelined him since landing on the injured list on April 11. Anderson was back at the top of the lineup on Tuesday night against the Twins and mentioned the words “positive energy” in several comments to reporters inside the White Sox clubhouse.

“I really don’t take anything for granted. I’m here and I’m ready to hopefully bring some positive energy back,” Anderson said.

When asked about the plummet of the White Sox in his absence, Anderson stayed primarily neutral in his response.

“Things happen. I’m not really trying to give you guys a quote to have a headline, but things happen,” Anderson said. “I can say that I’m going to try to continue to do what I’ve been doing, bringing positive energy and having fun.”

The importance of Tim Anderson to the Chicago White Sox

Chicago manager Pedro Grifol emphasized the importance of having Anderson, who slashed .298/.327/.404 in 47 at-bats before his injury, back in the lineup.

“We go as he goes,” Grifol said. “He’s a table setter. He’s Tim Anderson. He’s a big part of what we do here and who we are.”

While Grifol was happy to have Anderson back (along with infielder Hanser Alberto and speedster Billy Hamilton as a potential pinch runner), he was adamant that Tuesday’s moves were not intended to be a panic move after the slow start.

“They weren’t intended to shake the team up. They were intended to make us better,” Grifol said. “We feel like these changes make us better.”

Veteran infielder Elvis Andrus agreed, calling Anderson, “pretty much the DNA of this ball club.” The 34-year-old Andrus has been Chicago’s primary shortstop with Anderson on the injured list, but is glad to move back to second base with Anderson’s arrival.

“I’m happy that he’s back. My legs and my arm are happy he’s back,” Andrus said. “He means a lot. When you have a leadoff guy who can do it all, it impacts the whole lineup. It makes things easier for the rest of us.”

So can these roster moves coming on the heels of Sunday’s come-from-behind win be enough of a spark to get the White Sox going again? Andrus said it’s very possible.

“Games like that (Sunday’s win), I’ve seen where it takes teams to another level,” Andrus said. “We start getting the main guy to the team and you put that together, that’s a good mix.”

Chicago White Sox: Analyzing a roster-shifting move

There were also roster moves made that will impact the White Sox in the bullpen as well, including the call-up of Alexander Colomé (making his White Sox roster debut after spending the 2022 season with the Colorado Rockies) and the DFA of southpaw Jake Diekman. Acquired at last season’s trade deadline from the Boston Red Sox, Diekman had struggled during his time in Chicago, posting a 7.04 ERA/5.43 FIP/1.989 WHIP in 30.2 innings over 39 games.

Described in the White Sox clubhouse as a leader in the bullpen, Grifol knows that the Diekman DFA is a tough decision from a personal standpoint, but will give the White Sox other relief options from a personnel standpoint.

“He wasn’t only just a leader. He’s a good guy. He’s a good person and he’s a good teammate,” Grifol said. “He takes the ball when he’s tired. He takes the ball when he’s not. He takes the ball when he’s had four or five days off. He never complains. That’s one of the things that’s really hard when you have to make a move like this. That phone call is really hard because you’re telling a guy that we’re moving on and who is a good teammate and a talented player. It’s just not happening (for Diekman) right now.”

Grifol said he believed the 36-year-old Diekman would come back and be on an MLB mound again soon.

“He’s going to correct some things in his delivery and his mechanics and he’s going to find himself in another place, doing what he does,” Grifol said. “He’s had a really good career and he has some left in the tank as well.”