The White Sox announced today that he is the designated hitter/outfielder Eloy Jimenez sent to the Arizona Complex League White Sox for injury rehabilitation. Rehab assignments for non-pitchers come with a maximum of 20 days before they need to be returned to the injured list, if there is no health setback.
Jiménez, 27, suffered a left hamstring strain three weeks ago. Manager Pedro Grifol said at the time that Jiménez would miss “an extended period of time” without putting a firm timeline on it. Now it appears he is ready to return to action and, barring a setback, return to the big league club in early July or perhaps sooner.
The timeline is notable as Jiménez is an obvious figure to be traded before the trade deadline. The White Sox are deep in a rebuild, having traded away players Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Aaron Bummer, Robbie Grossman, Reynaldo López, Jake Burger and others in the past year. They have an abysmal 17-52 record this season, worst in the majors by a significant margin.
Jiménez is in the final guaranteed season of the six-year, $43MM extension he signed with the Sox that runs through 2019. He makes $13MM this year and has two team options. Next year’s is worth $16.5MM with an $18.5MM option for 2026, each of which has a $3MM buyout.
Over the course of that deal, he has shown the ability to be a major threat in the lineup, but has struggled to live up to that promise due to injuries. He has a career slash line of .271/.321/.479, which translates to a wRC+ of 116, which is 16% better than the overall league average.
However, his 122 games played in his rookie season is still the best. Since then, he has hit the mark just once in 85 games. Spent time on IL due to high ankle sprain, right ulnar nerve contusion, left adductor strain, ruptured pectoral tendon, appendectomy, torn hamstring tendon and more of the left hamstring.
It is possible that the combined injuries are damaging his body. He slashed .276/.327/.504 from 2019 to 2022 but hit just .263/.310/.427 since the start of 2023, the latter line translating to a wRC+ of 102. Since Jiménez isn’t exactly a hotshot. On the bases or a strong player, the least offensive output is to beat his value.
With health problems and his recent diminished results, interest may be muted. What could help the Sox, however, is an expanded playoff field. Currently, the Sox are one of just five clubs more than 4.5 games away from the playoffs. All other clubs will have to make tough decisions about how much to sell or what to do. The Rays and Blue Jays are reportedly holding off on a decision until later, and Astros general manager Dana Brown has said he plans to buy even though his club is close to the playoffs.
It has been reported that the Orioles may be looking for a right fielder. The Mariners are leading their division but fired their reliever but it was difficult at the plate. Atlanta is lost Ronald Acuña Jr. year and has been harassing lately. The Royals have a terrible outfield, something MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently checked on Front Office subscribers. Teams like the Cardinals, Guardians, Reds, Rangers, Cubs, Blue Jays and Twins may be looking for some more explosives.
Before any of that can be considered, Jiménez will have to get healthy and stay that way long enough to show promise against big league hitters. This year’s trade deadline is July 30.
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