Elvis

Andrus

Andrus signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the Rangers on Friday to officially retire as a member of the organization that he spent the first 12 big league seasons of his career. The 36-year-old shortstop wraps up a 15-year career that also included stint with the Athletics and White Sox. He steps away from the game with a lifetime .268 batting average, 2,091 hits, 102 home runs, 775 RBI and 347 stolen bases. His 1,652 games, 305 stolen bases and 1,743 hits with the Rangers rank 2nd, 1st and 3rd in franchise history respectively. He was a two time All-Star, finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2009. Despite a 15-year career where he was known as one of the most sure-handed shortstops in the league, but never won a Gold Glove Award.

Andrus has been out of the league since being released by the Diamondbacks this spring. The 36-year-old hit .269/.325/.370 with 102 homers and 347 steals in a 15-year career, most of which was spent with the Rangers. At one point, he seemed poised to take over for the retiring Miguel Cabrera as the active MLB leader in hits this year. However, Freddie Freeman made up a 94-hit deficit in 2023 to overtake him. As it turned out, Andrus, who finishes at 2,091 hits, was never active this year anyway.

Andrus had an opt-out clause in the minor league contract he signed earlier this month with Arizona, so he’s been granted his release to pursue a new opportunity. It’ll be Geraldo Perdomo opening the season as the Diamondbacks’ starting shortstop with top prospect Jordan Lawlar back at Triple-A Reno.

Elvis has entered the building (spring training facility). It’s a bit unclear how Andrus fits into Arizona’s overcrowded infield mix since Geraldo Perdomo has already been named the club’s starting shortstop, and elite prospect Jordan Lawlar is waiting in the wings. The 35-year-old veteran slashed a pedestrian .251/.304/.358 with six homers and 12 steals in 406 plate appearances last year for the White Sox.

The 30-year-old has been a massive disappointment this season, hitting .245/.276/.296 with one homer and 25 RBI across 524 plate appearances. The team has a $14 million club option on Anderson for next season, and is a possibility he will be on a new club by next spring. Elvis Andrus will start at shortstop in his place on Sunday.

This is the second straight start for Sosa and his fourth start in five games. The 23-year-old is hitting .241/.256/.414 in 27 games since the All-Star break, but has struggled in September, hitting just .204. Elvis Andrus will shift to the bench to allow Sosa to get into the lineup.

Elvis Andrus got the start at shortstop for Tim Anderson and Sunday and hit leadoff. He also put the White Sox ahead 2-1 on a two RBI double off of Kutter Crawford, which was enough to lead Chicago to victory in six innings. On the season, Andrus is hitting .255/.309/.364 and has been a solid fill-in piece for the White Sox.

Anderson hits the bench after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Saturday’s low scoring affair in Boston. On the season, the 30-year-old is hitting .248/.290/.300 with one homer and 13 stolen bases across 507 plate appearances. Elvis Andrus will bat leadoff as the White Sox’ shortstop in his absence.

It’ll be Elvis Andrus taking over at shortstop on Wednesday evening. Fantasy managers should consider Anderson day-to-day for now.

A bit of a surprising choice here, as this could cut into Lenyn Sosa’s audition time at second. The 22-year-old Rodríguez hasn’t really earned it, either. He did hit .264 with 18 homers and 28 steals in Double-A, but tit came with a poor .297 OBP. One imagines he’ll get a couple of starts per week at second and maybe one at shortstop. Elvis Andrus, already mostly phased out despite being the White Sox’s best infielder during the second half, will have even less to do.