White Sox vs. Tigers Friday MLB injury report, odds: Chicago without Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada; touted rookie Spencer Torkelson's Detroit debut

The Chicago White Sox are defending AL Central champions and -210 favorites at Caesars Sportsbook to repeat, but the Pale Hose already have been hit hard by injuries and will not have the left side of their starting infield for the season opener at rising Detroit on Friday afternoon with Tim Anderson suspended and Yoan Moncada on the injured list. Chicago is a -135 favorite. Click here for model picks. 

Anderson had a three-game suspension handed down to him in the last week of the 2021 season reduced to two games to be served to begin 2022. He was disciplined for making contact with an umpire during a benches-clearing and bullpen-clearing disagreement at Comerica Park late last September. Chicago's Jose Abreu initiated the altercation with a hard slide into second, which appeared to be retaliation after he was hit by a pitch in his previous at-bat.

While Anderson, the 2019 AL batting champion, might not be the White Sox's most talented player – that would be Luis Robert –he's their most important as the team was just 20-19 without him last year but 73-50 with. Anderson hit .309 with 17 homers, 61 RBIs and 18 steals last year and really is the engine of the offense from the leadoff position.

At Caesars, Anderson, the Dodgers' Trea Turner and Blue Jays' Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero opened as +1000 co-favorites to lead the majors in hits this year. Outfielder and recent trade acquisition AJ Pollock will hit leadoff Friday and Leury Garcia will play short.

Moncada could miss at least three weeks with a strained right oblique – those things can linger all season. Moncada batted .263 with 14 homers and 61 RBIs last season but had a terrible spring. Maybe that's why. Jake Burger, the 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft who has had major injury problems himself, will start at third and hit ninth. Burger is 10-for-38 in his MLB career with a homer and three RBIs.

White Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn, third in the 2021 AL Cy Young voting, is going to miss the first two months with a knee injury and the team's best lefty out of the bullpen, Garrett Crochet, recently had Tommy John surgery.

The Tigers tried to sign Astros All-Star free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa to a 10-year, $275 million contract before the lockout but Correa passed. So Detroit instead gave Javy Baez to a six-year, $140 million contract and he'll debut Friday. He's very streaky at the plate but will hugely upgrade the Tigers' defense at short.

Today also will be the debut of former Rays All-Star outfielder Austin Meadows. He was acquired Monday in an outright steal from Tampa Bay. Meadows hit .234 with 27 homers and a career-high 106 RBIs last season.

However, the most anticipated Tigers debut is touted rookie Spencer Torkelson, a +500 third favorite at Caesars to win AL Rookie of the Year. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the sport and hit 30 homers last year in the minors. Torkelson grades out with 70 power on the 20-80 scouting scale. This spring, he hit .258 with a homer in 31 at-bats. Torkelson will play first base, which means future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera will become mostly a DH.

Lucas Giolito (11-9, 3.53 ERA last year) is on the mound for Chicago and former Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (13-8, 4.74 ERA in 2021 with Boston) for Detroit. 

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