La Russa gives slumping Anderson a day off
The crowds at Guaranteed Rate Field were almost back to normal for the White Sox's three-game interleague series against the Cardinals this week.
With COVID-19 protocols easing as vaccinations rise, the Sox got the green light to increase capacity to 60% Monday.
Manager Tony La Russa took that into consideration while making out the lineup for Wednesday afternoon's game vs. St. Louis, but he still gave shortstop Tim Anderson the day off.
"I really don't like doing it at home because our fans like to see him," La Russa said. "But I know our fans care about him, too. It's a good day to rest him."
The White Sox are in a stretch of playing 18 games in 17 days, and Anderson has been a regular in the starting lineup since returning from a hamstring injury on April 15.
"Man is not a machine," La Russa said. "The problem is, it's a good problem, every day (Anderson) plays he puts a lot into the effort. I'm talking about the spirit, the stuff he does in the clubhouse, in the dugout.
"He takes ground balls every day, he plays the infield, he runs the bases. We're playing a lot of days in a row and if you watched the last couple he's just getting a little…people that know him better than I do can see that he can use a day."
Anderson is just 3-for-30 (.100) over his last seven games.