Anderson on shoving incident with umpire: 'He started it'

Tim Anderson is appealing his three-game suspension for pushing umpire Tim Timmons during Monday's makeup game against the Tigers in Detroit.

The punishment is just for the regular season and the Sox only have two more games before moving into the playoffs.

"If I could push it off to next year, that's cool," Anderson said Friday. "I guess we'll see what happens."

Both benches and bullpens emptied in the ninth inning of Monday's game at Comerica Park and Jose Abreu was the focal point of a near brawl.

After being hit by a pitch, Abreu slid hard into second base and sparked plenty of pushing and shoving.

Anderson admitted he pushed Timmons, but the White Sox's shortstop said his actions were warranted.

"He was pushing me," Anderson said. "I didn't realize who he was because he was so close. What's your reaction when someone pushes you? To push him off of you. So I pushed him off of me and I realized it was him, but at that point it's too late.

"Yeah, I pushed him. But he started it. He initiated it. I just pushed him back. I pushed him off of me because he was kind of in my space, a little too close."

Shape up:

Yoan Moncada had some physical challenges in 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19 right before the reduced 60-game season got started.

The Sox's third baseman has been relatively healthy this year.

"My shoulder has been bugging me a little bit, but nothing to be concerned about," Moncada said.

Looking ahead to the playoffs next week, Moncada is confident all of the hard work he's put in is really going to pay off.

"My body feels good, my body still feels strong," Moncada said. "The key has been I started working on my strength and conditioning during the offseason. I had a plan, and I've been following that plan throughout the whole season, too, with some variations. But I've been working on my body more, and that has been the key for me to feel as strong as I do right now."

Moncada has played 142 games this season, second most on the White Sox behind Jose Abreu (151).

Tepera returns:

Relief pitcher Ryan Tepera was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday. To clear a roster spot, reliever Mike Wright was designated for assignment.

Tepera was out since Sept. 11 with a right index finger laceration. Acquired from the Cubs in a July 29 trade, the right-hander has a 2.81 ERA in 20 relief appearances for the Sox.