Rick Renteria is giving two of his struggling players an extra day off on Friday.
Tim Anderson and Matt Davidson won’t be in the starting lineup for the second straight game when the White Sox open their series against the Texas Rangers.
Though both players have been in a slump, Renteria also wants to give his players some time to re-energize after the team’s crazy travel schedule.
“I'm trying to allow actually both young men, he and Matty Davidson, to kind of take a breath,” Renteria said. “They've both been playing every single day.”
In his last 30 at-bats, Anderson only has four hits with a home run and five RBIs. His homer and three of his RBIs came on Monday, the day he started wearing glasses.
In his sophomore season, Anderson said he’s still looking to improve his overall performance on both sides of the field.
“I’m not where I want to be,” Anderson said. “But I know what it takes to get to where I want to be. I feel like what I’m going through right now has really set myself up to be great. Just believe in myself and keep working.”
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Davidson, the White Sox home run leader with 17, has only one hit in his last 20 at-bats and has struck out 13 times. Perhaps an extra day off will get him back on track, too.
Renteria assures that the two will be back in the lineup this weekend against the Rangers.
“I think sometimes you've just got to allow them to take a step back and watch the game a little bit,” Renteria explained, “and then reinsert them back in there, let them start enjoying it again.”