White Sox sign pitcher Justin Anderson to minors deal

The White Sox have added a new arm to their system.

According to the transactions tracker on MLB.com, right-handed pitcher Justin Anderson agreed to a minor league deal with the organization on November 21. He has since been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte and could receive an invitation to major league Spring Training.

Drafted by the Angels in the 14th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Anderson appeared in 111 games for the club between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In that span, the 31-year-old went 6-3 with a 4.75 ERA, 1.76 K/BB, and 1.524 WHIP over 102.1 innings pitched. Control issues were always the main issue for the righty, despite his 27.7 strikeout percentage and use in high-leverage roles.

Unfortunately, Anderson’s career was quickly derailed by a number of injuries, including a torn ligament that required Tommy John surgery in July 2020. He was eventually non-tendered by Los Angeles and went on to sign a two-year minor league deal with the Rangers. That deal didn’t go according to plan, as Anderson landed on the minor league IL in April 2022 after just three appearances and never returned.

Fast forward to 2023, Anderson spent his season with the Royals organization and began to finally see some regular action. In 36.2 innings of work between three teams (Rookie, Double-A, and Triple-A), Anderson posted a 6.87 ERA, 1.473 WHIP, and 14.5 K/9. Though his season was rather unimpressive overall, Anderson began to string together some better outings by the end of it all, giving him something positive to build upon entering the new year.

Now, what does this move mean for the White Sox? Well, they’re pretty thin when it comes to their pitching staff as a whole, so Anderson looks like your typical organizational relief depth. Though a lot rides on his health and overall effectiveness, Anderson is valuable in the sense that he has plenty of options remaining with less than three years of service time under his belt. It shouldn’t be surprising if we see his name bounce around between Charlotte and Chicago if all works out.

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