Donaldson said he would be open to having a private conversation with Anderson. His characterization of the situation raised some eyebrows, though, as Anderson and the White Sox have not had a good recent history with Donaldson. Just last week, Anderson took exception to a physical tag from Donaldson when the teams played in Chicago. On an attempted pickoff play at third base, Donaldson pushed Anderson off the bag, ultimately resulting in a safe call. That resulted in an exchange of words and a modest bench clearing.

Donaldson also had run-ins with the White Sox in 2021 while he was a member of the Twins, who, like Chicago, play in the American League Central. In one such matchup, Donaldson homered off the White Sox ace Lucas Giolito. As Donaldson crossed home plate, he could be heard yelling, “Hands not sticky anymore,” a nod to M.L.B.’s crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances.

Afterward, Giolito called Donaldson a “pest” and said that if the infielder had a problem with him, he should say so to his face. Donaldson then told reporters that he confronted Giolito in the stadium’s parking lot.

On Saturday, Donaldson said that he took responsibility for last week’s tag on Anderson and was trying to “make light” of the ongoing tension in an attempt to defuse things. “We’re not trying to start any brawls or anything like that,” Donaldson said.

The White Sox, who won the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Yankees, 3-1, didn’t see it that way.

White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, a former teammate of Donaldson’s, called Donaldson’s interpretation of events “straight delusional.” He added: “Usually, you have inside jokes with people you get along with, not people that don’t get along at all.”

“He lives in his own world,” Grandal said of Donaldson while also bringing up the dispute with Giolito.