GLENDALE, Arizona — Elvis has re-entered the building.
The White Sox have agreed veteran infielder Elvis Andrus to a one-year, $3 million deal pending a physical, a source told MLB.com Sunday. The club have not confirmed the deal.
Andrus, who played 1,914 games at shortstop in his 14-year career, will switch to second base where he has never played an inning in the major leagues.
But with the game’s shift adjustment coming in 2023, second basemen will need more reach defensively. Andrus, 34, joined the White Sox as a free agent on August 19 of last season after being fired by the A’s. In 191 plate appearances in 43 games, Andrus hit .271/.309/.464 with nine homers, 28 RBIs and 11 stolen bases playing shortstop in place of an injured Tim Anderson.
Andrus was a big reason behind Chicago’s September push to the American League Central. In an interview on the final day of the 2022 season, Andrus expressed his willingness to move from shortstop to second base to return.
“Yeah, if it is, if that’s the only option I have, going from short to another position, I’d be more than happy,” Andrus said. “It’s about playing and winning at this point in my career, being in a winning environment. That would certainly mean a lot for my decision.
“Personally, I really enjoyed every moment here. I don’t know what will happen in the future. It’s my first time as a free agent in my career so we’ll see how it goes. But everyone knows that the chances are there that I will come back next year.”
The addition of Andrus also provides shortstop insurance behind Anderson, not to mention a player with 191 post-season plate appearances. The White Sox are also high on Romy Gonzalez, who was the clubhouse manager who started second before the Andrus deal.
Gonzalez hit a .238 in 109 plate appearances with the White Sox last season, along with two homers, four doubles, a triple and 11 RBIs. The 26-year-old scored last offseason in Miami with Oscar Colas, the club’s No. 2 according to the MLB pipeline, and Mike Tosar, the White Sox major league field coordinator.
Catcher Yasmani Grandal also visited Tosar during the off-season and he was impressed with Gonzalez’s work.
“He looks great,” said Grandal. “He has a pretty good idea of what he needs to do. Obviously I’m a big fan of his. I think he can help us a lot. He has a big bat. Can definitely play different places on the field.
“So yeah, hopefully he has a good season. I will try to help him as much as possible. He’s in a really good place right now.”
In 42 games with the White Sox, Gonzalez has played every position except center field, first base and catcher, although he was the team’s emergency catcher at the end of last season. Leury Garcia is the team’s current utility player, whose three-year contract has two years and $11 million left.