White Sox carry on, yet again, without Eloy Jimenez
Eloy Jiménez of the White Sox looks on before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 28, 2024 in Chicago.
Griffin Quinn/Getty Images
TORONTO — After exiting Tuesday's game with a left hamstring strain, White Sox designated hitter Eloy Jimenez landed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
Again. For the eighth time in his five-plus major league seasons.
This time it was Jimenez’ left hamstring that will sideline him, five weeks after he returned from an adductor strain. This injury occurred as Jimenez was running between third and home to score a run in a Sox victory Tuesday. It goes on an IL list that includes stays for sprained right ankle (2019), right ulnar nerve bruise (2019), torn pectoral tendon (2021), torn right hamstring (2022), strained left hamstring (2023) and appendectomy (2023). The only season Jimenez survived unscathed was the abbreviated 2020 season, in which he played 55 of 60 games and won an AL Silver Slugger Award.
Jimenez has also encountered ankle, heel, foot, hip, leg and groin issues, and light-headedness that have kept him off the field during his career.
“He was feeling good,” manager Pedro Grifol said Wednesday. “He was power shagging [fly balls in the outfield] yesterday, he played right field in New York Sunday. He actually stole a base [his third], wanted to steal third, was moving around well. It’s unfortunate that happened.”
In the final year of a six-year, $43 million contract, Jimenez joins Luis Robert (hip flexor strain) and Yoan Moncada (adductor strain), who have had their own issues with injuries during their careers, on the IL.
Thought to be the offensive core of the last Sox rebuild that produced one Wild Card and one division title before fizzling, Jimenez, Moncada and Robert have been in the same lineup together 147 times since the start of 2020, Robert’s rookie season.
Grifol is at a loss for why. He sees players working to get in and stay in playing shape. He sees the weight rooms and massage table at full capacity. He saw videos sent from Jimenez, Robert and Moncada during the offseason showing their intense workouts.
“When they came to spring training you could tell they worked -- Moncada’s numbers were spectacular," Grifol said.
“And they’re running at high speed before games because one of the main things was making sure we’re practicing at game speed, getting the percentage up, your high-speed sprints. I don’t know what else to tell you. Maybe guys are wired differently. Maybe the good Lord says you’re not going to be healthy right now, you’re going to be healthy next year.”
Right-hander Steven Wilson is also going to be out of action, going on the 15-day IL with a back strain. That cleared room on the pitching staff for right-hander Nick Nastrini, who was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to start Wednesday's series finale against the Blue Jays.
Jimenez made a swing adjustment that paid immediate dividends during spring training, and then he suffered the adductor strain during the third game of the season. After two weeks on the IL, he struggled to get that good rhythm back, and he takes a .231/.288/.381 batting line, .668 OPS and five homers to the IL.
He declined to talk Wednesday, putting it off till Thursday when he gets evaluated and knows more about the extent of the strain when the Sox are in Chicago to open a four-game series against the Orioles.
“I’m not one to make excuses,” said Grifol, whose team took a major league worst 15-34 record and minus-100 run differential into Wednesday’s game. “We’ve got other guys. Really good organizations, their depth gets tested. That’s what we’re trying to build, an organization that can withstand injuries and adversity.”
Grifol has had the trio on his lineup card together in 48 of the 212 games he has managed the Sox.
On Tuesday, he had none of them.
“We have to build this to where we say, ‘OK, [an injury is] unfortunate, we’ve lost three of our best players, but we have to find a way to win a baseball game.”