White Sox's Jimenez set to begin rehab assignment with Class A Winston-Salem Friday
"Good morning everyone!"
For Eloy Jimenez, Thursday was a very good morning.
Out since March 24 when he ruptured his left pectoral tendon trying to make a catch during a spring training game, Jimenez's comeback officially launched on June 14, when he was cleared to resume baseball activities.
Less than a month later, Jimenez is ready to take the next step.
The Sox announced the 24-year-old slugger will begin a rehabilitation assignment with high Class A Winston-Salem on Friday.
If the rehab goes well, Jimenez should be back in the White Sox's lineup at the end of the month.
"I'm feeling really good," Jimenez said on a Zoom call. "Right now, I'm feeling really excited and I'm feeling good because the team is still winning with a couple good players out. I feel happy for them and I feel happy I'm going to be back and help the team."
After starting his rehab at Winston-Salem and likely moving up through the Sox's minor-league system, Jimenez should be good to go at the end of July.
"I put the work in, I think that's why I'm here today," he said. "I feel better than in spring training. I feel like 110%, let's say 200%. I feel pretty normal. I feel like I can go and do my swing, finish with one hand, two hands, whatever, and it's not going to hurt."
Doing baseball activities at Camelback Ranch is one thing. Getting back in a real game is another.
"They haven't given me a timeline, but I think I can be (back) at the end of this month," Jimenez said. "That's my thought, but I don't know. This is my spring training right now. I don't know how I'm going to feel, how I'm going to react. I feel 100% percent, but I don't know how I'm going to react when I start playing."
Jimenez was twice injured playing left field in 2019, and he got tangled up in the netting at Guaranteed Rate Field last season trying to track down a drive off Christian Yelich's bat that went for an inside-the-park home run.
The pectoral injury in spring training was the most serious injury yet, but Jimenez is still determined to stay in left field rather than shift to designated hitter.
"I want to be out there every single day," he said. "I'm going to keep working hard. I'll do whatever but I still don't like DH, so keep that in mind."
Getting Jimenez's potent bat back in the lineup is obviously great news for the White Sox, who are second-to-last in the American League with 86 home runs.
Over the last two seasons with the Sox, Jimenez is hitting .276/.321/.527 with 45 home runs and 120 RBI in 177 games.
Center fielder Luis Robert (torn right hip flexor) has been rehabbing with Jimenez in Arizona and is also getting close to joining a minor-league affiliate.
"He's going to be back sooner than later," Jimenez said. "He's seems like he's doing pretty well to me. We've been working really hard so we can go back and play with our team. We help each other.
"We try to compete, try to do our best every single day and we put in the effort to be the best every single day."
As upbeat a player as there is in MLB, Jimenez has hit some bumps on his road to recovery. Watching White Sox games from afar has not been easy.
"I'm going to be honest, I watched a couple games, but I don't watch every single day because that sometimes makes me sad," Jimenez said.