White Sox: Eloy Jimenez to provide a big boost soon?

The Chicago White Sox have defied the odds so far this season, staving off a ridiculous number of injuries to currently sit at 51-35 with an eight-game lead in the American League Central over the Cleveland Indians.

The White Sox are about to get a big boost when Eloy Jimenez returns to their offense.

While they have dealt with the various 10-day IL stints that most teams navigate over the course of a long season, they have been disproportionately impacted by significant injuries to many of their key players, including losing Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal, and most recently Yasmani Grandal for extended periods of time.

Unlike their counterparts on the North Side, the White Sox have handled adversity well and kept the ship afloat despite all of these injuries. With the trade deadline looming, fans will be looking to general manager Rick Hahn to see whether he will make a big splash move for a bat to mitigate the impact of these injuries.

However, a recent development may impact his decision-making process, as the White Sox got some good news regarding Jimenez.

On March 31, Jimenez had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle sustained while trying to make a play in the outfield during a spring training game. At the time, there was little hope he would be able to return at all this season.

Remarkably, just three months later, the White Sox announced that Eloy will begin his rehab assignment with the Winston-Salem Dash, the team’s Class A-Advanced Carolina League affiliate, on Friday.

This is an incredible turn of events for the White Sox who will certainly benefit from getting Eloy’s bat back in the lineup but will also get a lift to the team’s morale simply by getting him back in the clubhouse.

With the All-Star Break coming up, and a substantial lead in the Central, the Sox have the luxury of bringing him along slowly. When he does finally return to the big league club, expect him to get significant time as the team’s designated hitter, especially since they are not going to want to risk another injury in the outfield, where Eloy looks shaky at best.

With the news that Luis Robert has been cleared to increase his baseball-related activities, the White Sox could find themselves pretty close back to full strength offensively sooner rather than later.

Fans will have to wait and see how, if at all, this affects Hahn’s decisions ahead of the trade deadline, but with the team poised for a playoff run, he shouldn’t take his foot off the gas at this point. Therefore, expect Hahn to make some moves to solidify this team as the favorites in the American League.