Eloy Jimenez returned to the lineup Sunday as a designated hitter. For now anyway, the White Sox don’t see that as his future home.
Reinstated from the injured list, Jimenez was the DH in Sunday’s 11-1 loss to the Twins. And if Jimenez was unfamiliar with how to stay mentally sharp as a DH, he can’t be blamed for it. Sunday was his second time as a DH in the majors, following only one other appearance in the spot during his time in the minors.
He thought taking swings in the cage might help, but wasn’t sure.
”I think so, but I don’t know because it’s hard to know, or pay attention to the game as a DH,” Jimenez said. “It’s hard to be focused on the game when you DH. That’s why I don’t like being a DH.”
The Sox could’ve sent Jimenez out for a rehab assignment, but chose to reinsert him into the lineup. If he had gone somewhere in the Sox system, he still would’ve been a DH for a while as he went through a throwing program, so the Sox figured they’d rather have him swing against big-league pitchers.
“So in either case, it’s either DH there or DH for us here,” manager Rick Renteria said. “I’d rather have him DH for us here and get his bat back in the lineup.”
There are few questions about Jimenez’s bat. He’s shown the mouthwatering power that made him one of baseball’s best prospects and has learned how to manage the strike zone. In his first game back Sunday, Jimenez went 0 for 3 but a bad call by Angel Hernandez in the sixth cost him a walk that would’ve brought in a run.
The fielding has been the issue. Jimenez has landed on the IL twice after incidents in the outfield, and his jumps and judgment have been a work in progress.
But Renteria wasn’t ready to say Jimenez is on track to becoming a DH. Renteria complimented his work ethic and how he’s done all the tasks the Sox have asked, and said he “sincerely has improved out there a lot.”
Before games, it’s been a common sight to see Jimenez working with coach Daryl Boston on the finer points of playing in the field. And at 22, Jimenez still has time to mature and grow with his glove, though his 6-4, 240-pound frame could bring limits.
”He’s too young for me to view him as a DH, to be honest,” said Renteria, who expected Jimenez to be back in the outfield in a few days. “And I think he’s shown so much improvement in the outfield that it would be, I think, derelict on my part and on our part as an organization to limit the ability for him to play on both sides of the baseball.”
That would help the Sox, both now and in the future. Their current roster has more than enough players who could DH, and with Andrew Vaughn, Zack Collins and Gavin Sheets, the farm system also has pieces that would fit better with Jimenez in the outfield.
“And so we want to see if we can maximize his ability to do everything he can as a major league baseball player,” Renteria said. “And then time will tell us. If that ends up ultimately being his lot -- I don’t foresee that. But if that ultimately becomes his lot, that becomes his lot. But I think right now we’re going to continue to use him on both sides of the baseball, for sure.”
