Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson has been suspended for three games by Major League Baseball and fined as part of punishment for making contact with home-plate umpire Nick Maherley during Friday night’s game against the Oakland Athletics. Is.
The league announced the suspension via a press release on Saturday night. Anderson has appealed the suspension, which means he will be allowed to play until a hearing can be scheduled and another ruling can be made, the release said.
The incident happened during the end of the seventh inning. Anderson took a pitch that seemed high enough to start his bat. Maherley called the pitch a strike, and the two appeared to be trading words. Maherle then called out Anderson, who responded by stepping in for a closer conversation. It was then that Anderson contacted Maherle, which triggered the suspension.
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Anderson, 29, entered .310/.351/.414 (117 OPS+) on Saturday with six home runs and 12 stolen bases in 71 games. According to Baseball Reference, his contribution has been worth an estimated 1.7 wins above replacements.
The White Sox entered the season on Saturday with a 49-50 record, leaving them three games behind the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central. The White Sox are two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for second place and the Tampa Bay Rays 3 1/2 games for the third and final wild card spot.
Should Anderson be forced to serve his suspension, the White Sox will likely turn to Leuri Garcia at shortstop. His usual backup shortstop Danny Mendick suffered a torn ACL in June that would keep him out for the rest of the season.