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Report: La Russa returning to White Sox for 2022

Nuccio DiNuzzo / Major League Baseball / Getty

Tony La Russa will return to manage the Chicago White Sox for a second season in 2022, a source told ESPN Thursday.

While the 77-year-old inked a multi-year contract with the White Sox last winter, his status as their bench boss was up in the air after the Houston Astros eliminated the team from the postseason. He said Tuesday that the decision should be left up to management and the players.

Since then, star players Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson have endorsed La Russa, saying they want him to return.

However, La Russa's first year back with the White Sox wasn't totally smooth. He butted heads with designated hitter Yermin Mercedes in May after the rookie hit a home run on a 3-0 pitch with the club already carrying a sizeable lead.

La Russa publicly criticized his own player, and Mercedes later announced he would be stepping away from baseball after a demotion to Triple-A. He continued playing instead.

Under La Russa's watch, the White Sox went 93-69 and won the AL Central by 13 games over the Cleveland Indians. But Chicago lost the first two contests of the ALDS in Houston and fell in four games.

This season marked La Russa's first as a major-league manager since 2011, when he guided the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series championship.

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