White Sox rookie Eloy Jimenez remained upbeat Sunday despite learning he would miss at least a couple of weeks because of a high ankle sprain.
If anything, Jimenez said, he was grateful he didn’t break his ankle when he planted his foot awkwardly into the outfield wall Friday.
‘‘I feel lucky it wasn’t too bad,’’ said Jimenez, who was put on the 10-day injured list and wore a walking boot on his right ankle. ‘‘It’s just [a] sprained ankle, and it’s going to be good. It’s going to be all right.
‘‘When I come back, I’m going to play hard, no matter what. If the wall is in my way, I’m going to play hard and hustle for my team.’’
The injury interrupted the first month of big-league action for Jimenez, who is hitting .241 with three home runs and eight RBI in 21 games. The 6-4, 205-pound slugger arrived from the minors as one of the top prospects in baseball.
Manager Rick Renteria said Jimenez already has shown progress in a few short weeks.
‘‘In the long term, as I look at him and see his work ethic and what he’s trying to do both defensively and offensively, I think you’re going to have an excellent major-league baseball player,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘Where he’s at right now, he’s in the inception of his major-league career. For me to give you an A-plus would be false, but I would say that the taste of what we’ve seen, the promise is real.
‘‘The only thing I can say is when he starts to do it, then everybody will be happy about it, and it will validate what we see from a professional standpoint.’’
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Jimenez said the injury would not stall his development.
‘‘I will watch the game and learn,’’ Jimenez said. ‘‘Give the support to my teammates. That’s important for me right now.’’
Shutting it down
The Sox also put relievers Nate Jones (inflammation in right elbow) and Ryan Burr (inflammation in right shoulder) on the 10-day IL.
Jones is 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 13 appearances. He has failed to surpass 30 innings in four of the previous five years.
‘‘He’s had a little bit of a history with his elbow,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘Everybody’s obviously concerned, not overly. Hopefully it’s just some inflammation and something he can deal with. We really tried to manage his usage to the extent that we could.’’
Renteria said it was too early to predict Jones’ workload upon his return, including whether he would be able to pitch in back-to-back games.
Burr is 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA in 10 appearances.
Welcome back
The Sox recalled left-hander Aaron Bummer and right-hander Thyago Vieira from Class AAA Charlotte to fill the vacancies created by the injuries to Jimenez and Jones. They will add another player to the roster before their game Monday against the Orioles to take Burr’s spot.
