The Chicago White Sox are in first place of the AL Central Division by a wide margin. They have been doing it with great pitching and an okay offense thanks to injuries. One of those is to Eloy Jimenez who is one of the best power hitters in the league. Now, he is getting ready to make his comeback from this injury.
Jimenez hasn’t played a game for the White Sox since spring training. It has been a long road back but he is almost there. A month ago he was cleared for the resumption of baseball activities and now he has made his season debut in Minor League Baseball. Clearly, it isn’t much of a challenge for him as a hitter because he is right back at his old tricks.
In this season’s debut, playing for the Winston-Salem Dash, Jimenez hit a home run. He also went 2-4 with two RBIs. It is good to see that his swing is strong enough to hit baseballs out of the park. Of course, it isn’t even close to Major League pitching yet but he will get there in due time.
Eloy Jimenez is BACK BABY! First game back! pic.twitter.com/px4XingwK4
— Southside Showdown (@SoxShowdown) July 11, 2021
Eloy Jimenez is going to provide a big boost to the Chicago White Sox lineup.
Jimenez is clearly back to 100 percent. Having him have some of these Minor League starts is good but it would be nice to see the White Sox bring him up when he is ready. They need his health to be the most important thing but they also need his bat to help them win. Getting him back as early as they are going to is great news. The rest of the league can’t be happy that the White Sox have played this well without a hitter like this all season.
Adding a player who won a Silver Slugger last year around this time is better than any realistic trade deadline acquisition. Don’t be surprised if he comes in and challenges some of the team leaders in offensive categories. His bat has lightning in it.
As mentioned many times before, this White Sox team has had so many serious injuries to consequential players. That makes what they have done with their record and division lead so impressive. When they add back guys like Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and Yasmani Grandal later this season, they are really going to be a team that is good enough to win the World Series. Seeing Eloy Jimenez hit that home run out quickly like that is a great sign for them.