“Bro, I’m being called up. I’m not supposed to tell anyone.”

That was TA7 to Terrance Derrik on June 9, 2016, some 44 minutes before midnight. Obviously, Derrik was the person he trusted with that information since he was not just a friend for a long time but a big brother, too. Even the Derriks cheered on Tim Anderson during the high school baseball games. So, Anderson worked as hard as he could and eventually reached U.S. Cellular Field for his MLB debut in 2016. Right there at second base, he was the reason for a standing ovation from 23,290 fans. Almost a decade down the line, it’s this very career he has drawn the curtain on.

“The game brought a lot of good moments but also brought a lot of pain,” Anderson said. “Throughout playing, there definitely were a lot of dark moments. I lost a lot of people. It got to the point where I really couldn’t enjoy being in that setting. It just wasn’t the same.”

On Monday, during the Zoom call, the former Chicago White Sox revealed that the physical and emotional cost of baseball became too heavy for him to continue further. He spent a decade in the majors, earning two All-Star selections, an American League batting title in 2019 with a .335 average, and years of unforgettable moments on Chicago’s South Side.

“I’m getting emotional now because we’re talking about something that I worked my whole life to get there. I never knew the route, I never knew which turn, and I never had any guidance. I just kept going,” Anderson added.

Even when thoughts of giving up baseball to pursue basketball came up, he knew he’d find a way to make baseball work. The 33-year-old even leaned on Derrick to sort out his dilemma, and with utmost confidence, Derrick told him not to take such a route because Tim-Tim had a shot at being one of the greats in baseball. And Derrick was right because he batted .495 during that season at East Central before the White Sox selected him in the first round of the June draft in 2013. In 2016, he made his major league debut, and later signed for more than $2 million.

“ Thanks for the memories, No. 7. Celebrating the two-time All-Star and 2019 American League batting champion Tim Anderson during a special pregame ceremony on Thursday, September 17,” the White Sox announced in a post on X.

Throughout his career with the White Sox, he represented the club’s identity proudly. Anderson spent 8 of his 10 major league seasons in Chicago, and the most memorable moment came in the 2021 MLB Field of Dreams game in Iowa. By this time, he had become one of the most popular, influential, and entertaining players.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Anderson launched a two-run walk-off home run over the right-field fence and into the cornfield, bagging the victory for the White Sox. As he rounded the bases and approached home plate, his teammates waited to celebrate, while fireworks spread across the night sky.

Anderson was also selected to the American League All-Star team in 2021 and 2022. He also represented the United States in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

“They gave me a shot, and they stuck by my side,” Anderson said of the White Sox. “So it’s only right that I get to come back and retire as a White Sox for sure.”

Being with the White Sox was the highlight of his career, but it was not always unicorns and candies for him. During the 2023 season, he was involved in an altercation with Cleveland Guardians infielder José Ramírez. It all began when Ramírez took issue with the force of Anderson’s tag at second base. What followed was a heated exchange between the two players. Anderson threw a punch that missed, causing Ramírez to respond with a punch to Anderson’s jaw that sent him to the ground. Players from both teams then rushed onto the field as the benches cleared.

MLB ultimately suspended Anderson for six games for his involvement in the brawl, while Ramírez received a three-game suspension. However, that is in the past now.

Another chapter in Anderson’s career was a series of injuries. He dealt with a left-hand and groin injury in 2022 and a left-knee sprain along with neck, forearm and shoulder troubles in 2023. The following year, he had back and thumb troubles.

After those setbacks, he struggled to return to his original form, and understandably so, since injuries affect a baseball player in many ways. It can reduce speed, alter defensive movements, and limit power and everyday actions. The later seasons of Anderson’s career made those struggles explicit.

“I fought for the last two, three years. You know, I trained, and I just couldn’t get the body to operate like it used to,” Anderson said. “So, I mean, I’m not one of those guys that’s going to just continue to try to get back to somewhere where I just, you know, I couldn’t get it back there.

“Even as I sit here and try to have an open conversation to be more calm and comfortable to talk about baseball, it’s not really there no more. I still love the game, but it’s just brought too much pain to me. So going back to play is probably not for me right now.”

After leaving the White Sox, Anderson attempted to extend his career with the Miami Marlins in 2024 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2025. His time was limited with both of these clubs, and he didn’t appear in any major league game after May 25, 2025.

In 2026, he is finally ending his career with a .276 batting average, 98 home runs, 350 runs batted in, and 122 stolen bases. He appeared in 991 regular-season games and recorded 1,088 hits. And that brings us to the next important question…

What’s the next chapter for Tim Anderson?

According to MLB.com, his post-retirement plans include a food truck, a developing clothing line related to his jersey number, and spending more time with his family. That is something he has wanted to do for a long time as well.

“I made a promise,” Tim Anderson said, “that I will always be there for my kids.”

He made that promise to his wife, Bria, and to himself. While it may sound like the simplest commitment a parent could make, it carries far greater weight.

He also expressed how these ventures will help him build an identity now, outside the frame of MLB.

From his 2019 batting title to his field of grand walk-off home runs, he gave the White Sox an identity and all the fan moments that will remain part of the club’s history forever.