Eloy Jiménez provides a ton of value to the White Sox lineup. Defense is not part of that value. Every time a ball is hit to left field it is an adventure. From getting caught in nets to colliding with teammates and walls to constantly getting hurt.
The Chicago White Sox are going to miss having Eloy Jimenez for a long period of time.
White Sox fans held their breath once again yesterday as Eloy ventured to the warning track and inexplicably jumped after a ball that was well over the fence. He dangled on the top of the fence for a couple of moments before gingerly falling to the ground. As he left the field he was holding his shoulder. The White Sox described the injury as “shoulder discomfort”.
This marks the second time that Jiménez has injured himself leaping for an uncatchable home run ball. He missed a number of games last season after he crashed into the wall trying to prevent a Twins grand slam early in the season. While his effort is nice to see, it is not worth removing the White Sox best power hitter from the lineup.
Lance Lynn reportedly visited Eloy in the training room and said he was in good spirits. This would be promising news but Jimenez is always happy so you can’t put too much stock into this.
It has been reported that Jiménez ruptured his pectoral tendon. He is expected to miss five to six months. Under that timeline, he will return around September. Because of their loft aspirations, the White Sox can’t afford to lose his bat in the middle of the lineup.
Their outfield depth is also running thin due to the injury of Adam Engel who is expected to miss Opening Day. Rick Hahn will now be forced to make a decision on whether to acquire some or patch the hole from inside the organization. These are some of the options they could consider: