White Sox SS Tim Anderson Suspended for 1st 2 Games of 2022 Season, Fined $10K

Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson has been suspended for the first two games of the 2022 regular season and fined $10,000 because of an incident that occurred in September of the 2021 campaign, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers. 

Major League Baseball initially suspended Anderson three games and fined him in September after he made contact with umpire Tim Timmons during a benches-clearing incident against the Detroit Tigers. 

The incident occurred when slugger Jose Abreu slid into second base while attempting to advance on a wild pitch. The Tigers were upset with the slide, and the benches cleared. After Anderson made contact with Timmons during the hullabaloo, he was ejected from the game. 

Anderson doesn't appear to be too happy about the suspension. 

"It's cool," Anderson said of his suspension while speaking with reporters Thursday. "Just going to be there for my teammates and I accepted what they're giving me so I can't really do anything about it."

The White Sox are slated to face the Tigers for Opening Day on April 8 at Comerica Park. Anderson will miss that matchup and Chicago's April 9 game against Detroit before being eligible to compete in the third and final game of the series on April 10.

Anderson has been a staple in the White Sox lineup since 2016. During the 2021 season, he earned his first All-Star selection while hitting .309/.338/.469 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI for a Chicago team that finished first in the AL Central for the first time since 2008. 

With Anderson sidelined, Leury Garcia should fill in at shortstop. The 31-year-old has spent the last eight-and-a-half seasons in Chicago and appeared in 126 games last season, slashing .267/.335/.376 with five home runs and 54 RBI.

Garcia played most of his games in the outfield last season, but he's also capable of playing every position on the left side of the infield.