TAMPA, Fla. -- Tim Anderson went from being the face of a franchise to free agency in one injury-plagued season with the White Sox. He found his new team last Saturday, signing a one-year contract for $5 million with the Marlins.

Anderson was in Miami¡¯s lineup for the first time in Thursday night¡¯s scoreless tie against the Yankees, and he made one outstanding play at shortstop while striking out in both plate appearances.

Anderson saved a run in the second inning, going deep in the hole before fielding a grounder by Oscar Gonzalez, setting and firing a one-hopper that first baseman Trey Mancini fielded with a nice pick.

¡°[Anderson] saved my butt,¡± said Marlins starter Ryan Weathers, who struck out five in 2 2/3 innings.

That was mentioned to Anderson.

¡°Ohhh,¡± said Anderson, chuckling. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. He made a good pitch, and I made a good play. But it felt good overall -- the first game. I feel confident. I feel comfortable. And now I¡¯m looking forward to keeping it going.

¡°I didn¡¯t like my at-bats, but I feel like I took some pretty good swings. Felt I was seeing it real well. The more at-bats I get, the more comfortable I¡¯ll feel, and the more useful I get.¡±

Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa -- who had Marlins manager Skip Schumaker as a player with the Cardinals and Anderson with the White Sox -- was important in uniting his two former players.

¡°He had a role in me coming here,¡± Anderson told MLB.com before the game. ¡°I¡¯m sure Tony had some good things to say for me.¡±

When asked about La Russa¡¯s input, Schumaker smiled and said, ¡°I keep those conversations pretty tight.¡±

Anderson won the American League batting title by hitting .335 in 2019 and hit .322 while finishing seventh in AL MVP voting in ¡¯20. He was an All-Star in each of the next two seasons before batting .245 with one homer and 25 RBIs in 493 at-bats last year.

What was his reaction when Chicago passed on its club option ($1 million buyout) to keep him for $14 million this season?

¡°I think we understood,¡± said Anderson, 30. ¡°I talked to a lot of people there -- from the owner [Jerry Reinsdorf] down. I think it was time -- time for a fresh start for both of us. We understood that and agreed upon that.

¡°Unfortunately, it was such a great run in Chicago that I hated for it to end. ¡­ But you never know what¡¯s on the other side until you go try it.¡±

? For some players, their tattoos really move the needle

Anderson said his struggles last season were injury-related. He sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in mid-May, and he played through that and later a sore right shoulder.

¡°I couldn¡¯t get back to hitting up against my front side,¡± said Anderson, who has 98 homers and 338 RBIs in eight seasons. ¡°It caused me to stay back a lot and favor my right side. But this offseason, I went to work and got the knee healthy.

¡°And coming over here and learning, I feel recharged. I¡¯m in a good space mentally. The body feels good and I¡¯m excited to see what the future holds. A lot of people don¡¯t think I can get back there, but nobody knows what type of person I am and what I¡¯m thinking. They don¡¯t know how obsessed I am with getting better and working.¡±

Meyer impressive after long layoff
Max Meyer made his first game appearance since tearing a ligament in his right elbow July 23, 2022, and undergoing Tommy John surgery 17 days later. He encountered a setback last July with elbow inflammation.

Meyer, who had thrown only six innings in the Majors as a Marlin at the time of the injury, pitched two innings Thursday against the Yankees. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

¡°I just wanted to compete, and I think I controlled my emotions pretty well,¡± said Meyer, 24, the club¡¯s No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Schumaker added, ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s sick of throwing bullpens and rehabbing, and probably a lot of dark days the last year and a half. ¡­ But it all came together today for our pitching coaches, our trainers and everybody that had a big part in him getting back on the mound. It was a big day for him and our organization because he¡¯s part of our future. He has a bright future.¡±

What got Meyer through the toughest times?

¡°It was just all the trainers and all the family,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a very long process. It¡¯s very hard, and I¡¯m just finally glad it¡¯s over.¡±

Rogers ¡®looked good¡¯ in bullpen session
Trevor Rogers, a candidate for a rotation spot, threw batting practice Thursday in Jupiter before the team departed for Tampa. He had been suffering from left shoulder soreness.

¡°I watched it, and he looked good,¡± Schumaker said. ¡°His velo was probably where it should be right now -- sitting at 93 [mph] with a good changeup, and his slider was working. He threw all pitches for strikes -- which is good to see. So, a really encouraging outing today.¡±