Tim Anderson, a former two-time All-Star and American League batting champion with the Chicago White Sox, announced his retirement from professional baseball on Monday, citing persistent physical pain.
Anderson, 33, appeared in parts of 10 major league seasons, most recently with the Los Angeles Angels for a 31-game stint in 2025. He revealed during a call with reporters that the physical toll of a full season had become too much to bear.
"I fought to try to get back," Anderson said, per The Athletic. "I fought for the last two or three years. I trained and just couldn’t get the body to operate like it used to. I still love the game. It just brought too much pain to me so going back to play is not for me, not where I’m at right now."
Drafted 17th overall by the White Sox in 2013, Anderson made his MLB debut in 2016. After a few seasons of middling results, he emerged as one of baseball's elite hitters.
In 2019, Anderson won the American League batting title with a .335 average over 123 games. He followed this with seasons batting at least .301 from 2019 through 2022.
A memorable moment in Anderson's career came in 2021 when he hit a walk-off home run against the New York Yankees during the inaugural Field of Dreams game in Iowa. He recalled the moment as one that would "be around forever."
Anderson's career also included notable incidents. In May 2022, he was involved in a on-field confrontation with then-Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson, who had repeatedly referred to Anderson as "Jackie." Donaldson was later suspended for the remarks.
In August 2023, Anderson was involved in a benches-clearing brawl with Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, which resulted in both players throwing punches. Ramirez landed a punch that knocked Anderson down, and Anderson received a five-game suspension for his role in the incident.
Anderson spent his final two seasons with the Miami Marlins in 2024 and the Angels in 2025, with production declining in those stints. He expressed that the game had brought both joy and significant pain.
"As you can see, the game brung a lot of good moments, but it also brung lot of pain. It gives me anxiety just even … talking about baseball," Anderson said. "The game brought a lot of pain, a lot of great moments, but just throughout playing, it definitely was a lot of dark moments."
The White Sox organization plans to honor Anderson on September 17, ahead of a game against the Detroit Tigers. Anderson stated his desire to focus on life outside of baseball and his family.