Grandal denies slapping Anderson across face in reported altercation

Before White Sox general manager Rick Hahn responded to some serious organizational charges levied by former relief pitcher Keynan Middleton, catcher Yasmani Grandal responded to a report he got into a physical altercation with teammate Tim Anderson the day before the all-star break.

"Definitely not," Grandal said.

According to WSCR 670-AM's Shane Riordan, Grandal wasn't in the starting lineup against the Cardinals on July 9 and wanted to leave early, prompting Anderson to say: "(Bleep) it. If he doesn't want to be here, I'll pay for his flight."

Grandal walked over to Anderson, who was in a tub, and slapped him across the face, according to Riordan, who told the story on the air and tweeted about it Monday.

Did it happen?

"Definitely not," Grandal said. "This is unreal. Especially the fact that they said it was a day before the all-star break. I'll tell you one thing. The one thing I was thinking about that day, especially after that game, was, 'Let's go to this lake house I have rented with my family, because I haven't spent a lot of time with them.'"

Anderson was not made available for comment Monday. Earlier in the day, the Sox's shortstop was hit with a six-game suspension for fighting Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez Saturday night in Cleveland.

Anderson is appealing the suspension and he played against the Yankees Monday night.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn was asked about the reported Grandal-Anderson scrap.

"He told you it didn't happen," Hahn said. "That's accurate. You're not suggesting he's lying to you, I hope."

Grandal said he just heard about the report before talking to the media.

"I know people need to do their jobs and they're trying to put a story out, but it's crazy to what extent people can go to just put something out there," Grandal said. "It's like they're almost fishing for something."

The two have been teammates for almost four years and Grandal said Anderson can still be the best shortstop in baseball.

"I think we've all seen it," Grandal said.