‘Very happy to have him back’: Chicago White Sox officially sign Elvis Andrus to a 1-year, $3 million deal

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Elvis Andrus is officially back with the Chicago White Sox, who announced Monday the veteran infielder signed a one-year, $3 million deal.

“Everyone saw what he was capable of doing on the field over his stretch of time with us, which obviously was extremely productive,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “What many people who weren’t close to the team may well have missed was the impact he had in our clubhouse. He is a tremendous role model for our young players. His work ethic, his professionalism, the way he plays the game are all great benefits to that club.

“Very happy to have him back. As was alluded to (Sunday) night, he is here with the expectation that he’ll very likely be the everyday second baseman. Obviously also provides us with a little bit of protection should we need him on the other side of the diamond. But initially the fit is very clearly at second base.”

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Andrus, 34, had a .249/.303/.404 slash line with 32 doubles, 17 home runs, 58 RBIs, 66 runs and 18 stolen bases in 149 combined games with the Oakland Athletics (106) and Sox (43) last season. He slashed .271/.309/.464 with nine home runs, 28 RBIs and 11 stolen bases after signing with the Sox on Aug. 19 to fill in for injured shortstop Tim Anderson.

“He came in and he was a big spark for us,” outfielder Gavin Sheets said. “Obviously when you lose a player like Tim Anderson, it hurts the clubhouse and hurts the team. He came in and didn’t skip a beat and played really, really well last year.

“It’s going to help us to bring in another veteran guy that can help us win a championship. I’m excited for it. I know he’s excited to be here. He said he found something last year, so excited to see him get to work.”

Hahn said the deal evolved over time.

“There was interest from the start in bringing him back,” Hahn said. “He knew we wanted him. He knew TA was going to be the everyday shortstop, and this was his first opportunity of his career to test free agency. He wanted to see what was available to him.

“Ultimately, he had options to go elsewhere. But I think he felt very comfortable here and liked the idea of playing with this group and playing for a team with very high expectations.”

A shortstop his entire big-league career, Andrus will shift to a position he never has played in the majors.

“At some point you do have to have a little bit of faith in a guy’s athleticism and his work ethic,” Hahn said. “With the change in the shift rules, having someone with range and a strong arm and good instincts is going to be of added benefit in the middle infield.

“We think Elvis profiles that way. Certainly going to be no doubt that he’s going to put the work in to make himself as good as possible at that position.”

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Hahn said infielders Romy Gonzalez and Lenyn Sosa will find ways to make impacts.

“I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that we still think and I expect will continue to think very highly of Romy Gonzalez as well as Lenyn Sosa,” Hahn said. “Very confident Romy is going to help us win ballgames in Chicago in some capacity over the course of this season.

“Sosa being a little bit younger and a little less far along in his development, wouldn’t surprise me if he makes an impact in Chicago as well. But having that depth in the middle infield puts us in a better position to withstand whatever lies ahead.

“Romy is going to move around the infield. He’s going to even play a little bit of corner outfield as well. It’s something he did some in college. Someone described it as a Ben Zobrist-type role. He’s going to be all over. He’s very solid at three infield positions and we are going to get him more experience on the outfield corners and see where that leads us. The versatility will be a benefit to us, and we think the bat will play in the big leagues.”

In Monday’s corresponding move, the Sox designated pitcher Bennett Sousa for assignment.