Cactus League report: Cubs’ recruiting pitch for Shohei Ohtani and the White Sox’s new double play combination

MESA AND GLENDALE, Ariz. — Greetings from Arizona.

Spring training is fully underway after teams’ first full-squad workout Monday ahead of the Cactus League schedule kicking off Saturday.

Chicago Tribune baseball writers LaMond Pope, Meghan Montemurro and Paul Sullivan will be providing Cubs and White Sox updates throughout spring training.

The White Sox have a new double play combination with Tim Anderson at shortstop and Elvis Andrus at second base.

Andrus returned to the Sox on a one-year deal announced Monday. He signed with the team last August to fill in at shortstop after Anderson suffered a sagittal band tear in his left middle finger.

Anderson received clearance Sept. 13 to ramp up baseball activities and began taking batting and fielding practice, but the Sox decided to shut him down for the rest of 2022 in late September. Now, he’s excited to work with Andrus.

“Definitely a guy that you want to be around,” Anderson said Monday. “I’m just looking forward to learning from him. I learned a lot just being around (last year), so I’m definitely going to soak up as much as I can with him.

Anderson said watching Andrus prepare last season was helpful.

“As you get older, he knows how the body works, so he definitely could give me tips on that,” Anderson said.

Andrus has never played second in a big-league game but doesn’t anticipate turning two from the other side of the bag to be too much of an adjustment.

“If it’s a hard or a slow ground ball, throw it here.’ It’s the same for both sides, so I don’t think it’s going to be such a big deal,” he said. “But I’m sure we’ll have to work together.”

Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki will be playing for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, where he’ll be joining teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish.

Suzuki was asked Monday whether he would recruit Ohtani to the Cubs.

“I am inviting him,” he said.

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Ohtani is set to be a free agent in 2024, and agent Nez Balelo told reporters Monday he’s likely to test the waters.

Ohtani avoided arbitration with the Los Angeles Angels and will make $30 million this season. He could become a $500 million player, based on his status as baseball’s first great two-way player since Babe Ruth.

“Shohei has earned the right to play through the year explore free agency and we’ll see where that shakes out,” Balelo said.

The Sox are approaching spring training in pieces. That was part of manager Pedro Grifol’s message to the team before their first full-squad workout Monday.

“I told them, ‘We can’t win a championship in the spring, but we can lose one in the spring if we’re not prepared,’” Grifol said. “I truly believe that. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to come out here and prepare ourselves to do things the right way, be fundamentally sound (and) play with high energy.

“We’ve got a lot of different personalities here and I want them all to be themselves. Just go out there, play, have fun, play (fearlessly) and don’t worry about mistakes. That’s what we’re here for, right? We’re here to fix those mistakes. The last thing we want them to do is create an environment where it’s tight, we’re not enjoying it or we’re not being ourselves.”

The message resonated with the players.

“It really stuck with me,” first baseman Andrew Vaughn said. “We just have to push forward in spring and do the right things. If we don’t show up and do the work and do the right things every single day, it’s going to hold us back.”

The lengthy journey on the way back from Tommy John surgery can be a lonely road.

Beyond the physical aspect of the year-plus rehab process, the mental side of a comeback can test a player mentally too.

“You’ve got to find something to keep you entertained,” Codi Heuer said Monday. “I just keep having to remind myself that I’ve got some time left. I want to go go go now. I want to be back to myself right now. I’ve got to keep reminding myself to take my time and take it one day at a time, and control what I can control.”

Heuer, who had Tommy John surgery in March, will start throwing breaking balls in his bullpens next week. He’s currently throwing three bullpens each week, fastball and changeup only, with his heaviest throwing sessions (35-40 pitches) coming on Mondays and Fridays.

Heuer expected to be put on the 60-day injured list before the start of the regular season, which the Cubs did Monday to open a 40-man spot for veteran right-hander Michael Fulmer. It won’t affect Heuer’s timeline to return, barring a setback. He is eyeing to be back in mid-June or July.

“That extra time it’s going to be good,” Heuer said. “Because I don’t want to be having to worry about my arm or work through things on that day. I want to be 100% in the game and I want to be worried about what I need to do in the game and how I’m feeling. So, it’ll be nice to be able to work all that stuff out before I’m back in game mode.”

“I can’t say enough good things about Willson. I played against him for a long time and look forward to competing against him. I’m not Willson. I don’t want to be Willson. I have my own way of playing. I’m a defense first guy. I love to play emotionally, but I’m going to play hard and try to help us win whichever way I possibly can.” — catcher Tucker Barnhart on not expecting to put up the kind of offensive numbers former Cubs catcher Willson Contreras star had in his career in Chicago