Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson is the latest man in line to agree to represent the United States at the World Baseball Classic.
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Anderson’s name is currently on the injured list due to surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left middle finger. The intervention, undergone on August 11, requires six weeks of convalescence.
Anderson has batted .301 this season, hitting 100 hits and scoring 50 runs in 79 games. He was invited to the All-Star Game for the second year in a row.
Besides Anderson, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt, Trevor Story, Bryce Harper, Nolan Arenado, JT Realmuto and Cedric Mullins have also indicated their interest in wearing their country’s colors next March.
Held every four years, the Classic was originally scheduled to take place in 2021. However, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the first time, 20 countries will attempt to be crowned world champions at the Classic. Canada, like 15 other nations, has already qualified by virtue of its participation in the last Classic, in 2017. The representatives of the maple leaf had then lost their three games of the preliminary tournament.