Jimenez, Kopech will be playing for Chicago White Sox, but when?

Eloy Jimenez is going to be wearing a Chicago White Sox uniform soon. Ditto for Michael Kopech.

An argument can be made that Jimenez would be the Sox's best hitter right now, and Kopech would be their best pitcher.

So it's not a question of if the duo are going to be with the White Sox. It's when.

There are two answers, and both are undoubtedly being weighed by general manager Rick Hahn and the Sox's front office.

1. Bring 'em up

Jimenez had a monster July and was voted White Sox player of the month after batting .435 with 7 doubles, 6 home runs, 13 RBI, 13 runs scored and a staggering 1.293 OPS over 16 games with Class AAA Charlotte.

The 21-year-old prospect has combined to hit .337/.386/.601 with 18 homers and 59 RBI in 80 combined games with Charlotte and AA Birmingham this season, and he has struck out only 51 times in 339 plate appearances.

Kopech was very good in April, not so good in May and June and back to very good in July (1-1, 3.33 ERA, 38 strikeouts in 27 innings).

Hahn was in Charlotte on Wednesday, and the guess here is he spoke to both of his best minor-league players.

Late last week, Hahn was asked when Jimenez and/or Kopech will be joining the White Sox.

"As we've talked about all along, the good ones do have a way of forcing the issue on you," Hahn said. "At the same time, the important thing for us in any promotion, whether it's Eloy and Kopech, or (Yoan) Moncada, (Lucas) Giolito and (Reynaldo) Lopez last year, or the hopefully legion of guys you'll be asking about over the next 18 to 24 months, the most important thing is that they're in a position to have long-term success for us, that they're in a position to succeed and not just survive.

"So, yes, while you can look at a stat line or you can look at a boxscore and say, 'This guy looks like he's doing well, looks like he's ready,' our checklist that we want these guys to answer is a little more lengthy than that. And not until they've answered all those questions we have for them at the minor-league level will we promote them."

Moncada was promoted to the White Sox on July 19 last season. Lopez followed on Aug. 11, and Giolito came up from Charlotte on Aug. 23.

2. Leave 'em down

Thanks to baseball's collective-bargaining agreement, the Sox can opt to keep Jimenez and Kopech at Triple-A in August, the final month of the minor-league season, and into the early part of next season.

Why?

If they wait until mid-April 2019, they would get an extra year of service time on both players. In other words, Jimenez and Kopech would not be eligible for free agency until after the 2025 season.

It might sound like a stupid choice and a waste of major-league development time, but why not wait another month this year and a couple of weeks next year to keep both players under contract for another full season?

The Cubs made a similar decision on Kris Bryant in 2015, bringing up the star third baseman from AAA Iowa on April 17.

Sooner or later, we'll find out what the White Sox are going to do. Jimenez and Kopech might both be in the major leagues as early as Monday, when the Sox open a three-game home series against the New York Yankees.

If one or both are not in the majors in September, you'll know why.