Marlins' Tim Anderson: Says knee is 100 percent
Anderson indicated Saturday that the MCL sprain in his left knee that he played through for most of 2023 is no longer an issue, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
"[The injury] took a toll," Anderson said prior to Saturday's Grapefruit League game. "You're talking about the front side of an MCL sprain. I had nothing to hit up against. It led to a lot of ground balls. No excuses. I kept working. I feel good today. I feel healthy, and I'm ready to go, and I'm excited." The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Marlins this week to be the team's starting shortstop, and while injuries are part of the package with Anderson -- he hasn't played more than 123 games in a season since 2018 -- if he is healthy again, he could rediscover the form that saw him slash .318/.347/.473 for the White Sox between 2019 and 2022. His running should provide the first clue whether Anderson is all the way back. After recording a sprint speed of greater than 28.0 feet per second every year of his career through 2022, ranking in the 78th percentile or greater each season, his speed plummeted to 27.2 ft/s, and a 46th percentile ranking, in 2023.
