Former American League All-Star Tim Anderson has made it back to the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels.
Released by the Miami Marlins on July 2, Anderson got a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training from the Angels in January. On Tuesday, Los Angeles announced it had selected Anderson’s contract, putting the former Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa standout on the roster for Thursday’s season-opening game against the Chicago White Sox.
Anderson hit .250 in 22 Cactus League games and is expected to provide middle-infield depth for the Angels.
Anderson went to the MLB All-Star Game for the White Sox in 2021 and 2022. But he was hitting .214 in 65 games when the Marlins released him last season.
In 2019, Anderson won the AL batting crown with a .335 average, and the next season, he led the American League in runs and won the Silver Slugger Award as the league’s best-hitting shortstop.
The White Sox chose Anderson from East Central Community College at No. 17 in the 2013 draft, and he became Chicago’s regular shortstop during the 2016 season, a position he held for the next seven seasons.
The White Sox had signed Anderson to a six-year, $25 million contract before the 2017 season. He had hit .283 in 99 games in the 2016 season, and at that time, his deal was the most lucrative signed by a player with less than one full season of MLB experience. The contract included team options for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Chicago declined the 2024 option, choosing to pay Anderson a $1 million buyout to become a free agent rather than $14 million to play another season for the White Sox.
The Marlins signed Anderson to a one-year, $5 million contract as a free agent in February 2024 hoping he would regain his all-star form. But with 68, he had 11 more strikeouts than hits and walks combined for the 2024 season when Miami let him go.
In 960 MLB regular-season games, Anderson has a .278 batting average with 98 home runs and 121 stolen bases. Anderson also has a .485 batting average in seven postseason games.
Anderson earned All-State honors at Hillcrest High School in 2011. He also helped the Patriots win the AHSAA Class 6A boys’ basketball championship that year.
The Angels open the season against the White Sox at 3:10 p.m. CDT Thursday at Rate Field in Chicago.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.
