How does Elvis Andrus fit with the White Sox? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Elvis Andrus and the Chicago White Sox are in the talking stages surrounding a deal, according to reports. Andrus was released by the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday and the Sox should swoop in and sign him.
Andrus, 33, hasn't done anything much this season to write home about. He's slashing .237/.301/.373 from the plate. While his eight home runs would rank fifth on the White Sox, it still ranks toward the bottom half of the league.
The long time Texas Ranger spent the first 12 years of his career there, racking up two All-Star selections on his way. In 2021, he signed with the Athletics. After recording a lackluster stat line over 252 games with the A's, they decided to move on from him.
On the flip side, the Sox are down three shortstops. All-Star Tim Anderson had successful surgery on his middle finger recently to repair a sagittal band tear in his left hand. His return is expected in mid September. Leury García hit the 10-day injured list on Wednesday due to a lower back strain. Earlier this season, Danny Mendick tore his ACL, which will keep him out for the rest of the season.
The Sox are forced to switch between minor leaguers Lenyn Sosa and Romy González as a result of the injuries. González played his first game up with the Sox on Wednesday, recording one double in four plate appearances. As for Sosa, he's played 10 games this year and has recorded four hits.
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Andrus' fit becomes a moot point when discussing the need to sign him. The White Sox cannot rely on González nor Sosa to hold the post at shortstop. Despite García's likely imminent return from the injured list, the Sox need a helping hand at shortstop.
Andrus can create plays at the plate. He already has more home runs than most of the active roster. Plus, he would have the third most walks on the team and can become a baserunning threat. He's stolen seven bases this season.
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In the field, he's good enough to take the day's work at shortstop. He has an above average fielding percentage compared to the average league shortstop. Andrus has nine errors on the season, which is three less than Anderson.
Scott Boras (Andrus' agent) has worked with the Sox before with Dallas Keuchel's signing back in 2019. If the Sox signed Andrus, it would likely be through the rest of the season on low money. He's a rental through-and-through.
Due to the increase in injuries, specifically at shortstop, the need to sign him grows larger as the club heads down an important stretch of games.
With 44 games left in the season, the Sox sit two games out of first place in the AL Central. It's a tight race between the Sox, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians. The Sox are currently in third place.
If they want to stay in contention, they need a reliable shortstop to help while the club waits for Anderson to return.