Chicago White Sox cut Rollins, call up rookie shortstop Anderson
Is Tim Anderson a complete player?
Does he have enough plate discipline to be an offensive force?
What about the glove, can Anderson play shortstop?
The answers - in order - are no, probably not, and we'll see.
The Chicago White Sox initially were leaning toward giving Anderson a full season at Class AAA Charlotte to continue his development, but that changed Friday.
With Jimmy Rollins and Tyler Saladino providing so-so play at shortstop for the Sox, Anderson got the call and was in the starting lineup Friday night against the Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field.
To clear a spot on the 25-man roster, Rollins was designated for assignment.
"It's a great feeling, knowing I'm playing here in this stadium," said Anderson, who turns 23 on June 23. "It's one chance in a lifetime, so I'm very excited about it. Just get in there and get going. It's a great moment for me and my family, so I'm looking forward to it."
Anderson got the call now because he was batting .304 at Charlotte and leading the International League with 75 hits. He got the call now because the White Sox's offense needed a serious jolt.
"The consensus was Timmy was ready to contribute at the big-league level," general manager Rick Hahn said. "From our standpoint, hopefully it's very clear to everyone, he is not here to be sort of a savior. He is here to, hopefully, continue his successful run that he has been on over the last month or six weeks down there at Charlotte and get himself some experience here at the big-league level.
"We do feel that he has the ability to be a special player. But this is still a young player, still a player that is developing, and that development continues at the big-league level."
Batting ninth in his first major-league game, Anderson wasted little time sparking the Sox's offense.
In his first at-bat - with one out in the third inning - the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder doubled to left field on a 1-2 pitch from Royals starter Ian Kennedy. Anderson advanced to third base on Adam Eaton's groundout and scored the White Sox's first run on Jose Abreu's single.
Anderson added a single in his third trip to the plate and finished 2-for-3 in his debut as the Sox won 7-5.
Look for Anderson to bat at the bottom of the order for an extended period to keep the pressure to a minimum.
"He's not here to be a savior," said manager Robin Ventura, echoing Hahn. "He's just here to play. That would be a big difference, if you ran him out there batting leadoff or batting him third. He could end up getting there. Today, you just get him in the lineup and let him play. He's pretty sharp."
Rollins, who signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the White Sox a week into spring training, played in 41 games this season and batted .221 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI.
"He sent me a text message and reached out to me and wished me well," Anderson said of Rollins. "I really thank him for that. He's going to be with me every step."