Chicago White Sox: Four long-term injury replacements for Eloy Jimenez
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:
Yoenis Céspedes
Before spring training even started there were rumors that the White Sox were linked to Yoenis Céspedes. These rumors may pick up some steam now that Eloy Jimenez has gone down. The White Sox already has some connections to the Céspedes family. They acquired the younger half-brother of Yoenis, Yoelqui Céspedes, back in January.
Like Jiménez, Yoenis Céspedes has power. He is a two-time home run derby champion. He won it in consecutive years back in 2013 and 2014. That power has translated outside of batting practice as well. He has hit 30 plus home runs twice during his career and has 165 total during his eight-year career. He is also a two-time All-Star, Silver Slugger award winner, and Gold Glove award winner. Despite all of the accolades, the market for Cespedes has been almost nonexistent.
He has been hampered by injures over the past couple of seasons and had a bizarre ending to his Mets tenure. He disappeared and the team could not get in touch with him. He then surprised everyone in the organization by opting out of the season after playing eight games.
Céspedes has a great arm and would be a defensive upgrade over Eloy in left field. He also impressed teams during his free-agent showcase that he hosted. The White Sox might be able to get him at a discount price because he is eager to come back and does not have many suitors lining up for his services. He is 35-years old so he is on the back nine of his career. For a one-year deal, he may be worth the investment while the White Sox wait for Jiménez to return.
Josh Reddick
Another veteran free agent that remains unsigned is Josh Reddick. There are a couple of things that make Reddick an intriguing target for the White Sox. For starters, he is a World Series champion. Rick Hahn clearly values playoff experience as he tries to build a winning culture in Chicago. He has already brought in battle-tested playoff veterans such as Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, Adam Eaton, and Lance Lynn.
Reddick is also a former Gold Glove winner. He is no longer the same defender he once was but he is still a defensive upgrade over Jiménez. Mind you the bar is extremely low in that department.
The problem is he served as a DH in 2020. He also has the majority of his outfield experience in rightfield, although he has played some games in left. While he has had some productive offensive seasons he is nowhere near the hitter that Eloy Jiménez. Baseball-Reference projects that he will hit .249 with 56 RBIs and 15 home runs. That would be a significant downgrade but it would be serviceable.
Like Céspedes he would probably come at a discounted price this close to the season. If the White Sox add him they would be getting a veteran left-handed bat at the bottom of their lineup.
Leury Garcia
If the White Sox decide to use an internal candidate then the first in line for a promotion would be Leury Garcia. Garcia served as the White Sox leadoff man in 2019 and was a starter in 2020 before going down with an injury.
Garcia provides a ton of value for the White Sox because he can play every position in the outfield and three different positions in the infield. His strong arm makes him effective in every position he plays. He is the ultimate utility player. Garcia has the speed to cover a ton of ground in the outfield as well.
Paired with Adam Eaton and Luis Robert, it will be very difficult for opposing hitters to find green grass to land a ball in. He was already expected to be used as the fourth outfielder while the White Sox wait for Adam Engel to return. Within a matter of days, he could get another promotion.
Garcia can provide some offensive production for the White Sox. In the past three seasons that he has played over 80 games, he has hit .270 or higher. Not only can he hit for average but he has exhibited expert bunting skills. If Tony La Russa wants to move a runner over Garcia can get the job done.
However, he can’t replace the power that Jimenez provides. Garcia’s career-high in home runs is 9. That is a significant drop-off from the 30 plus bombs that Jimenez is capable of. Garcia has been with the team since 2013 so the White Sox clearly values him. If they roll with him in left field it will be because Rick Hahn believes he can step up and get the job done.
Yasiel Puig
Yasiel Puig is the least attractive option out of everyone on this list. He has also been described as a clubhouse cancer. Making an investment in him is very risky. If the White Sox do go that route they will need to make sure he is cleared of the sexual assault allegations before they even think about touching him. However, there may be some untapped potential in Puig, who has failed to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he burst onto the scene with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Puig is a former All-Star. He has a cannon of an arm and some highlight-reel plays to his name. He also has some offensive pop. Last season he hit .297 in 49 games. He has hit 20 plus homers in four of the past five seasons. For his career, he has a respectable slash line of .277/.475/.348.
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Puig would also add another Cuban-born player and the White Sox have a lot of those. That may help him ease into the locker room culture the White Sox have created. Like the other free agents still available, Puig can be found in the discount section. The price tag should not be very high which makes him intriguing. At the very least the White Sox should look into him.