GLENDALE, Ariz. — The White Sox re-signed free-agent infielder Elvis Andrus to a one-year, $3 million contract Sunday and plan to make him their everyday second baseman. The Sox announced the deal Monday after Andrus passed his physical at Camelback Ranch.
Andrus, who stabilized the Sox’ lineup and middle infield when shortstop Tim Anderson was out with an injury to the middle finger of his left hand at the end of last season, batted .271/.309/.464 with nine homers in 191 plate appearances with the team in 2022. He also provided steady defense and a veteran presence in the clubhouse and on the field.
“Everyone saw what he is capable of doing on the field,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “What people may have missed is his impact in the clubhouse. We’re very happy to have him back.”
Andrus, 34, hasn’t played second base in the majors. The Sox had said they were planning to go with unproven Romy Gonzalez at the position, with prospect Lenyn Sosa also getting a look there during spring training. They were interested in bringing back Andrus already in September, and after he found no suitable takers in a free-agent market full of top-level shortstops, he settled on the Sox at a team-friendly price.
Andrus said last season he was open to playing second base.
‘‘I play a lot [on the first-base side of second base] with all the shifting,’’ Andrus said last season. ‘‘I’ve been playing a lot of second. I’ve made, like, five double plays from second base. So, yeah, I’ll be down for whatever I can do to help the team to win. I’m down to go out there and do my job.’’
“There’s certainly no doubt he’ll put the work in to make himself as good as possible at that position,” general manager Rick Hahn said Monday.
“There was interest from the start in wanting him back. He knew we wanted him, he knew that TA was going to be the shortstop and this was his first opportunity to test free agency. Ultimately he had options to go elsewhere, but he felt very comfortable here and liked the idea of playing with this group and a team with very high expectations.”
“Definitely a guy that you want to be around,” Anderson said Monday. “You know I’m just looking forward to learning from him. I learned a lot just being around, so I’m definitely going to soak up as much as I can with him.”
Andrus is a career .270/.326/.371 hitter with 96 home runs in 14 seasons.
To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Bennett Sousa was designated for assignment.
“We continue to think very highly of Romy Gonzalez as well as Lenyn Sosa,” Hahn said. “We’re very confident Romy will help us win games in Chicago in some capacity this season.”
Gonzalez will be utilized around the infield and work at corner outfield positions to expand his versatility.
“Someone described it as a Ben Zobrist type role,” Hahn said. “The versatility will benefit us and we think it will play in the big leagues.”
Kopech sharp
Manager Pedro Grifol said he was ‘‘really excited’’ about right-hander Michael Kopech’s bullpen session Sunday.
‘‘Commanded the strike zone,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘Was strong. He’s in a good spot physically, mentally. Today was a really good day for him.’’
Healthy so far
The Sox got through the first five days of camp with no injuries.
‘‘Knock on wood,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘That’s a big part of this thing, a huge part of this thing. . . . Feedback from [players] will allow us to be proactive instead of reactive. That’s a really important message in this camp. Let’s get ahead of these things so we can nip them in the bud a little bit.’’
First full-squad workout
Monday is the first full-squad day, although the entire team was in camp Sunday with the exception of outfielder Oscar Colas and infielder Hanser Alberto.
Grifol prides himself on being a communicator, but ‘‘those big speeches’’ often heard on such days aren’t his thing.
‘‘They last about 15 or 20 minutes [in players’ minds],’’ Grifol said.
