The 20-year-old injured his shoulder in the VFL last month and after toying with the idea of sending him in for season-ending surgery, the Hawks have decided to see what eight weeks of dedicated rehabilitation will bring.
"There was a reasonable amount of damage done to that shoulder," Hawks general manager of football Chris Fagan told the club's website.
"We're not sure yet whether he'll need surgery down the track or strengthening it and working on it in the gym will be the solution, but we still want to give him a chance to be available for the team later in the year.
"We're going to take that punt, rehab him and see how things go."
Anderson played six games last year on debut, including a final. He looked set to become a member of Hawthorn's best 22, but fell ill with pneumonia while on his off-season break.
Just as he returned to full fitness and was playing well in the VFL, he injured his shoulder.
Otherwise Hawthorn is tracking well on the injury front. Midfielder Liam Shiels (shoulder) and defender Matt Spangher (ankle) are still about two weeks away, as is dual premiership midfielder midfielder Brad Sewell who is yet to play this year because of hamstring concerns.
From a selection point of view, the Hawks will consider recalling Ryan Schoenmakers for Saturday's MCG clash with St Kilda. The key defender has played the last four weeks in the VFL in his comeback from a knee reconstruction.
