CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson said Tuesday that Josh Donaldson was clearly trying to rattle him when the New York Yankees third baseman referred to him as “Jackie,” a remark that led to Donaldson being suspended one game by Major League Baseball.

Anderson and White Sox Manager Tony La Russa said previously that Donaldson was being racist when he referred to Anderson, who is Black, by the name of the man who broke baseball’s color barrier.

Donaldson has appealed the suspension and has denied that he had any racist intent. He said the comment was a reference to a 2019 Sports Illustrated interview in which Anderson said he viewed himself as a modern-day Robinson.

“He was trying to provoke me,” Anderson said Tuesday before the White Sox faced Boston. “But he knew what he was doing.”

The benches and bullpens emptied after Donaldson’s remark.

Anderson said he didn’t have a strong opinion on MLB’s decision to suspend Donaldson and fine him an undisclosed amount. Anderson did confirm he had a brief conversation in 2019 in which Donaldson called him “Jackie.”

“He did say that,” Anderson said. “I told him, `We don’t have to talk again. I won’t speak to you, you don’t speak to me if that’s how you’re going to refer to me.’

“I know he knew exactly what he was doing. I already told him. He went to Minnesota 2-3 years ago, and he don’t say nothing to me because he knows I already addressed it. And we get into it (on May 13). He slammed back, so I pushed him off me. So what? He felt the need to say it again.”

Anderson shoved Donaldson on May 13 following a hard tag in Chicago, which also led to the benches emptying.

Yankees Manager Aaron Boone and team leader Aaron Judge have both said Donaldson was in the wrong to taunt Anderson in that way.

Donaldson tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday shortly before being suspended and has been away from the Yankees. Boone said he expected that Donaldson was doing a lot of reflecting, and also that the comments wouldn’t create tension in New York’s clubhouse, where several of Donaldson’s teammates are Black.

“I think people always change and evolve and hopefully get better,” Boone said. “Some people are more provocative than others. Some people are quiet, some people are outgoing, everyone’s a little bit different, but to say people can’t evolve and change and grow, no, I don’t think that’s, I never close the book on any of that with anyone.”

Anderson acknowledged he got extra satisfaction from hitting a home run in Sunday night’s win at Yankee Stadium, where he was booed and claimed he heard calls of “Jackie” from fans.

“That was cool,” Anderson said. “It helped motivate me a little more. We’ve seen what happened. But that’s cool. I’ll take whatever he told me. That’s cool.
“Got to need something to keep me motivated.”

White Sox GM Rick Hahn said Anderson’s homer was the best response “you could possibly have.”

As for Donaldson’s claim the “Jackie” reference was an inside joke, Anderson replied: “I know the truth. I know what it is.”

YANKEES: The Yankees lost All-Stars DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton to injuries and also placed closer Aroldis Chapman on the injured list.

LeMahieu was set to lead off and play third base against the Baltimore Orioles, but New York announced he wouldn’t play about 90 minutes before the first pitch because of left wrist discomfort.

Stanton was pulled from the game with right calf tightness. He was replaced by pinch-hitter Estevan Florial in the seventh inning after going 0 for 2 with a strikeout as the designated hitter.

Marwin Gonzalez replaced LeMahieu at third base, and Aaron Hicks was bumped up to the leadoff spot. Gonzalez was hit in the right hand by a pitch Tuesday but remained in the game.

New York also activated catcher Kyle Higashioka from the COVID-19 IL. Left fielder Joey Gallo and Donaldson remain out with the virus, although Gallo has tested negative and worked out at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. He could be activated Wednesday.

Chapman had an MRI on Monday that came back negative for a tear. Boone said Tuesday that Chapman was improving but not game ready.

PHILLIES: Right-hander Zach Eflin and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a $5.7 million, one-year contract.

Eflin gets a $5.55 million salary this year, and the deal includes a $15 million mutual option for 2023 with a $150,000 buyout. He can earn an additional $300,000 in performance bonuses this year for innings: $50,000 each for 100 and 125, $75,000 for 150 and $125,000 for 175.

Philadelphia and Eflin had been scheduled for an arbitration hearing on Wednesday. He had asked for a raise from $4.45 million to $6.9 million and had been offered $5.15 million.

Eflin was 4-7 with a 4.17 ERA in 18 starts last year, his season cut short by surgery in September for a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. He is 1-3 with a 3.65 ERA in seven starts this season and is eligible for free agency after the World Series.

No statistics or evidence from after March 1 are admissible other than contract and salary comparisons, timing set when Major League Baseball and the players’ association agreed to the deal that ended the lockout.

Teams have a 3-2 lead in decisions: Seattle second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier ($8 million) and Kansas City outfielder Andrew Benintendi ($8.5 million) won and Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley ($3.95 million), injured Atlanta reliever Luke Jackson ($3.6 million) and St. Louis outfielder Tyler O’Neill ($3.4 million) also lost.

A decision remains pending for Milwaukee right-hander Adrian Houser.

Arbitration hearings usually are held during the first three weeks of February, but were delayed by the lockout.

Hearings are scheduled through June 24. Players scheduled for hearings include Atlanta outfielder Adam Duvall, pitchers Max Fried and Dansby Swanson, along with New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt, Minnesota catcher Gary Sanchez and Miami catcher Jacob Stallings.

MARINERS: The Seattle Mariners activated former AL rookie of the year Kyle Lewis from the injured list, nearly a year after he last played in a major league game.

Lewis, the 2020 rookie of the year, missed most of last season due to a right knee injury but the slumping Mariners are hoping his return to the lineup can provide a spark.

Lewis was batting seventh for Tuesday’s game against Oakland. His last major league game was on May 31, 2021.

Lewis will primarily be a designated hitter for Seattle as continued knee troubles have limited his ability to play in the field.

Lewis suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee last spring and underwent surgery. His recovery was slowed by setbacks and he was eventually shut down by Seattle late in the season. Lewis also suffered a bone bruise in the knee during this spring training that cost him the first few weeks of the season.

BREWERS: The Milwaukee Brewers placed outfielder Hunter Renfroe on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring and selected infielder-outfielder Mark Mathias from Triple-A Nashville.

Renfroe was injured during Monday night’s 3-2, 10-inning loss to the San Diego Padres. He was hitting .266 with nine home runs and 16 RBI for the NL Central-leading Brewers.

Manager Craig Counsell said an MRI showed a low-grade hamstring strain and that Renfroe could miss two weeks.

TUESDAY’S GAMES

RAYS 4, MARLINS 0: Kevin Kiermaier hit Pablo Lopez’s first pitch for an inside-the-park home run and Tampa Bay beat visiting Miami.

Harold Ramirez and Ji-Man Choi also homered off Lopez, who had given up only two home runs in eight preceding starts.

Shane McClanahan (4-2) pitched six innings for the Rays, striking out nine.

Kiermaier hit a line drive that center fielder Jesus Sanchez dived forward to attempt to catch. The ball skipped past Sanchez and rolled to the wall as Kiermaier circled the bases, scoring when catcher Jacob Stallings couldn’t control the relay throw in time.

It was the sixth homer of the year for Kiermaier, who is 13 for 24 with three homers in his last five games. Ramirez hit his first home run since June 21 with Cleveland. Choi’s two-run shot in the sixth was his third of the season.

The Marlins’ best chance to score off McClanahan came in the sixth, when Garrett Cooper and Jesus Aguilar led off with singles. After a double play, McClanahan threw a wild pitch that bounced back into fair territory, causing Cooper to change his mind about trying to score from third. When McClanahan slipped and fell, however, Cooper tried again to score, but third baseman Isaac Paredes threw him out.

Lopez (4-2), who came into the game with a National League-best 1.57 ERA, gave up four runs on nine hits in seven innings, striking out eight.

Cooper, leading off for the first time in his career, and Stallings each had two of Miami’s five hits.

ROCKIES 2, PIRATES 1: Connor Joe singled home the tie-breaking run in the top of the 10th inning and visiting Colorado slipped past Pittsburgh.

With one out, Joe grounded his hit up the middle off David Bednar (1-1), scoring automatic runner Sam Hilliard from second base.

Joe ran his on-base streak to 21 games, and Jose Iglesias had two hits for the Rockies.

Daniel Bard (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings to complete Colorado’s five-hitter. The Rockies won for just the second time in their last 12 road games.

CUBS 11, REDS 4: Frank Schwindel homered twice in a game for the first time in his career, Marcus Stroman recovered from a rough start to pitch five effective innings, and Chicago won at Cincinnati.

DODGERS 9, NATIONALS 4: Mookie Betts homered twice on a night he was originally supposed to have off, and Los Angeles won at Washington.

Betts smacked a three-run homer off former Dodgers prospect Josiah Gray and hit solo shot off Victor Arano for his 21st career multihomer game and his second of the season.

Chris Taylor and Trea Turner also homered for Los Angeles, which has won 9 of 10. At 29-13, Los Angeles owns the best record in the National League.

Washington has dropped 7 of 9 and is a major-league worst 5-17 at home.

Betts was scheduled for a routine off day Tuesday, but Manager Dave Roberts said outfielder Clay Bellinger woke up not feeling well, which prompted some lineup juggling. Now, Betts is set to sit in Wednesday’s series finale – assuming there isn’t another change of plans.

TWINS 2, TIGERS 0: Sonny Gray compiled a season-high 10 strikeouts over seven sharp innings, carrying host Minnesota to its sixth straight win.

Gray (2-1) allowed four hits and one walk in by far his best of six starts with his new team. The Twins, who are 23-8 since April 21, have won each of the last four games with Gray on the mound after he returned from a strained hamstring.

Gio Urshela had three hits and an RBI, and Carlos Correa hit a run-scoring double for the Twins against Tigers rookie Beau Brieske (0-4), who remains winless in six career starts. Detroit dropped to 3-15 in its last 18 games against Minnesota at Target Field.

ASTROS 7, GUARDIANS 3: Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and Kyle Tucker led the offense with a three-run homer to help Houston to a win at home.

Valdez (4-2) allowed seven hits and three runs in seven innings, collecting his third straight win and allowing the Astros to bounce back after dropping the series opener 6-1.

Jose Ramirez gave Cleveland an early lead when he homered for the second straight game with a solo shot in the first inning. The Astros went on top with a two-run double by Alex Bregman in the third before Tucker broke the game open with his home run off Zach Plesac (1-4) that made it 7-1 in the fifth.

YANKEES 7, ORIOLES 6: Jose Trevino hit a game-ending single in the 11th inning and ailing New York overcame injuries to two All-Stars to end its first three-game skid of the season, beating visiting Baltimore.

Trevino hit his second homer of the season earlier in the game and also had a tying single in the seventh.

He raised his arms as he rounded first, then was swarmed near second base by teammates. The first-year Yankee, acquired just before Opening Day as a glove-first catcher, put his hands on his head and looked around Yankee Stadium in apparent disbelief.

The former Texas Ranger cried during a postgame interview on the field, which he began by directing sympathies to victims of a shooting Tuesday that killed 19 children in a Texas elementary school. The 29-year-old is from Corpus Christi.

“My thoughts and prayers to everybody in Texas,” he said.

BRAVES 6, PHILLIES 5: William Contreras singled home Ronald Acuna Jr. in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Atlanta a win over visiting Philadelphia.

Bryce Harper put Philadelphia ahead 5-4 in the top of the ninth with a two-run homer off closer Kenley Jansen (3-0). Harper finished with four RBI.

But the Braves rallied back, taking advantage of a costly error by center fielder Roman Quinn.

BLUE JAYS 8, CARDINALS 1: Danny Jansen hit a three-run homer and a solo shot, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also went deep and Toronto Blue won at St. Louis.

Kevin Gausman (4-3) threw six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. He allowed four hits and beat the Cardinals for the first time in eight appearances.

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