White Sox's Tim Anderson Named to 1st All-Star Team As Carlos Correa's Replacement

The Chicago White Sox announced Saturday that shortstop Tim Anderson has been named to the American League All-Star team.

The Sox noted that Anderson will join teammates Liam Hendriks, Carlos Rodon and Lance Lynn in Colorado for the All-Star Game:

Anderson is the replacement for Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who informed MLB this week he would not attend All-Star weekend so he could be with his pregnant wife.

Correa was subsequently placed on the injured list Friday because of MLB's health and safety protocols.

Anderson has spent some time on the injured list this season, but he has been highly productive when healthy, slashing .312/.350/.429 with six home runs, 31 RBI, 53 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in 72 games.

Despite the fact that Anderson has established himself as one of the premier shortstops in baseball, this marks his first career All-Star nod.

His breakout came in 2019 when he won the AL batting title with a .335 average, while also racking up 18 homers, 56 RBI, 81 runs and 17 steals.

There was no All-Star Game last season since COVID-19 shortened the campaign to 60 games, but Anderson likely would have been selected if there was one.

He hit .322 with 10 home runs, 21 RBI and an AL-best 45 runs for a White Sox team that reached the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

This season, Anderson has been one of Chicago's best players, and the White Sox find themselves in prime position to return to the playoffs, as they lead the AL Central by 7.5 games with a 52-35 record.

Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox was selected as the AL's All-Star starter, meaning Anderson will come off the bench in the game.

The 2021 MLB All-Star Game will emanate from Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday night.