There is going to naturally be some concern for Eloy Jimenez this week. It only took him five games to reach the injured list after multiple years in a row of getting hurt.
He is hoping that this low-grade hamstring strain isn’t going to keep him out for too long. We know that he is an elite hitter when he is healthy but keeping him on the field is extremely important.
The White Sox announced that it will take 2-3 weeks for him to return. Obviously, it would be ideal for it to be the lower end of that expectation. Good things can happen to this lineup when he is a part of it.
Ahead of their game against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, Pedro Grifol spoke on the injury to Jimenez and he made everyone feel a little bit better about the situation.
He probably understands why people are concerned. Jimenez is a player that just has a hard time staying healthy. That is something he is going to have to overcome to show off his talent and Grifol knows it.
Pedro Grifol made some people feel better about Eloy Jimenez's status.
"I’m really optimistic this is not going to be too long and he’s going to come back strong because he put the work in this offseason. He really did and he looks great. He’s going to have a real good year.”
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) April 5, 2023
--Pedro Grifol on Eloy Jiménezhttps://t.co/6csXB26Huz
According to the new White Sox manager, he is optimistic about Jimenez coming back strong because he has put in the work during the off-season. He is confident that he is going to have a good year in 2023 which means that he will be healthy.
Pedro Grifol, so far in his coaching career, has said all of the right things and in the right tone. He has a calming way about him that makes people feel better about things. If he believes this about Eloy, we have no reason not to trust him right now.
Eloy Jimenez playing well for the majority of the season could be a key to the White Sox winning the division or making the playoffs. Even if he misses these three weeks, he can still come back and play a majority of the season and make the impact that we know he can make.