One thought went through the mind of White Sox designated hitter Eloy Jimenez as he neared home plate in Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays: ‘Not again.’
In another familiar tale for White Sox fans, Jimenez will miss around four to six weeks with a left hamstring strain he suffered Tuesday against Toronto. He landed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
This is the eighth time the talented hitter will land on the IL in his five-plus major-league season. The injury happened as Jimenez ran between third and home in the Sox’s 5-0 win. In a cruel twist, Jimennez said Tuesday was the first time he felt 100% since coming off the IL. He’s unsure why he continues to suffer these injuries.
“If you’re asking me how to explain it to you, I don’t know how,” he said. “ It just sucks.”
The Sox continue to be bit by the injury bug to their middle-of-the-lineup hitters. The triumvirate of third baseman Yoan Moncada, Jimenez and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. continue to suffer through their injury woes. Moncada and Robert have combined to play 18 of the team’s 53 games. Jimenez has played just 36 of the team’s games.
“Eloy is someone that’s a big part of this lineup going into this year,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said Friday. “You’re talking about Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert Jr. and Jimenez; those are core offensive pieces. To lose them at any point of the season, you take a hit.
You feel for Eloy. I know he wants to be out there. He certainly began to have some productive at-bats for us, but there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
The team has done a deep dive into why injuries occur so frequently for Jimenez. They feel that he’s doing the necessary maintenance work to ward off injuries, but something isn’t working. Jimenez ‘s— and, by extension, Moncada and Robert’s — inability to stay on the field is partly why the Sox’ latest competitive window closed shut. With Getz looking towards the future through trades and what the team has brewing in the minors, could Jimenez’s days in a Sox uniform be numbered?
“I’m never thinking about going away from the White Sox,” Jimenez said. “I know this is a business, but that’s not my thought. I want to be great for the team, I want to be great for the fans, and I want to help the team win a World Series. That’s my mindset.”
Ramos’ return
Third baseman Bryan Ramos (left quadriceps strain) was activated off the injured list and returned on Saturday. Ramos was finding his stride prior to his injury, slashing .281/.294/.344.
“He’s extremely talented, looks the part and then came up here and performed,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “I get excited to see the adjustments that are going to have to be made, how he makes them and how he continues to develop because he’s a big part of the future here. If he does this right and we do this right, he can really impact this team and this organization.”
Roster moves
The Sox optioned outfielder Zach DeLoach to Triple-A Charlotte to make room for Ramos. DeLoach was hitless through his five at-bats with three strikeouts.