MINNEAPOLIS — The Chicago White Sox could soon receive an offensive boost with slugger Eloy Jiménez scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Friday with Class A Winston-Salem.
Jiménez has been out since suffering a ruptured left pectoral tendon in a March 24 Cactus League game against the Oakland Athletics at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., while attempting to rob Sean Murphy of a home run.
“I’m feeling really good,” Jimenez said Thursday during a conference call. “Right now I feel really excited. And I feel really good because the team is still winning with a couple of good players out. I feel happy for them and I feel happy that I’m going to be back and help the team.”
The original timeline had Jiménez sidelined for five to six months. He was medically cleared to resume baseball activities on June 14.
“I feel better than spring training,” he said. “I feel 110 percent, let’s say 200 percent. I feel pretty normal. I feel like I can do my swing, finish, with one hand, two hands, whatever and it’s not going to hurt.”
The left fielder earned an American League Silver Slugger Award in 2020 after finishing second on the team in doubles (14), home runs (14), RBIs (41) and slugging percentage (.559).
Rookie Andrew Vaughn has played most often in left field during Jiménez’s absence. Jiménez could also see time at designated hitter.
“There’s legitimate reasons to think of DHing him a lot,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said before Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. “That would be one way to get his bat in and not have to worry so much about his legs. At the same time, the way (Yermín) Mercedes was going, the spot was open for a while and hopefully Yermín gets back (from Triple A).
“I think the depth we have now in the outfield allows us to think about Eloy maybe getting a lot of swings as a DH.”
No timeline has been established for when Jiménez could return to the Sox lineup, but he said, “I think I can be around at the end of this month.”
