Chicago White Sox exercise Tim Anderson’s club option for 2023 and decline their option on Josh Harrison
Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson might have a different double-play partner next season.
The Sox exercised their $12.5 million club option on Anderson for 2023 and declined their $5.5 million option on infielder Josh Harrison, the team announced Monday.
Anderson, a two-time All-Star, has a .288/.316/.422 slash line in seven seasons with the Sox. He slashed .301/.339/.395 with six homers and 25 RBIs in 2022 and was voted a starter for the All-Star Game for the first time, but his season was cut short by injury.
He was limited to 79 games with his season ending after he tore the sagittal band in his left middle finger Aug. 6 against the Texas Rangers.
“Definitely different, not being able to be 100%, just being up and down, battling through injuries,” Anderson said on Oct. 4. “Definitely not a place you want to be at. I’m definitely going to go out (in 2023) and have fun, for sure.”
Anderson, 29, has been a spark at the top of the Sox lineup, batting at least .301 in each of the last four seasons.
He led the majors with a .335 batting average in 2019 and finished second in the American League at .322 the next season, tying for the league lead with 45 runs. He finished seventh in AL Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2020 and won his first Silver Slugger Award.
Anderson was fourth in the AL with a .309 average in 2021, becoming the first Sox player to finish in the top five for three consecutive seasons.
He made his first All-Star team that season but didn’t get to bat. He went 1-for-2 with a single in the 2022 All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
Anderson signed a six-year, $25 million contract in March 2017 that included the club option for 2023 and a $14 million club option for 2024.
Harrison signed a one-year deal in March with the club option and a $1.5 million buyout for 2023. He slashed .256/.317/.370 with seven homers, 27 RBIs and 50 runs in 119 games in 2022.
Harrison, 35, spent the bulk of his time at second base (a team-high 85 starts at the position), but the two-time All-Star showcased his versatility, making 20 starts at third base and another in left field. He even pitched the ninth inning in three games, including July 5 against the Minnesota Twins in a game in which he also collected his 1,000th career hit.
Harrison started slowly, hitting .135 in April and .194 in May. He heated up in June, hitting .322, and had a .303 average for September and October. He hit .232 in 66 games before the All-Star break and .285 in 53 games after the break.
