ATLANTA — White Sox right fielder Eloy Jimenez left the team’s 8-1 victory Sunday against the Braves after the first inning because tightness in his left groin. He will be further evaluated Monday and might be out for four or five days, manager Pedro Grifol said.
‘‘He’ll get some tests done, and we’ll see,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘I wouldn’t expect him in the next few days, for sure, but I don’t want to jump the gun on anything. But right now, it doesn’t look good for the next four or five days. But we’ll see what comes of it [Monday].’’
The Sox are off Monday and open a three-game series Tuesday against the Mets in New York before moving on to Minneapolis for a three-game set against the Twins.
Jimenez was hurt just before he hit first base when he grounded into a double play in the first. He played his position in the bottom of the inning, then Gavin Sheets pinch-hit for him in the second.
Jimenez, the No. 4 hitter in Grifol’s lineup, is batting .270/.314/.465 in 62 games this season. The groin is just the latest in a series of injuries that have kept him off the field during his career.
‘‘He’s been getting down the line really good, running hard the last couple of days,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘And he was feeling good. That’s why he was playing in right field against [Braves left-hander Kolby Allard].’’
Grandal wants to play beyond ’23
Catcher Yasmani Grandal envisioned bigger and better things when he signed a four-year, $73 million contract with the Sox before the 2020 season. At the time, it was the richest contract in team history, surpassing first baseman Jose Abreu’s $68 million deal.
The Sox probably expected more, too, when they added a catcher who had proved to be a plus offensive threat with plate discipline and high marks for pitch-framing.
But aside from 2021, when Grandal batted .240/.420/.520 with 23 home runs and a .939 OPS in 99 games for the Sox’ American League Central winners, his production hasn’t provided much bang for the big bucks.
‘‘Well, I had an idea, a thought of where I wanted to take this team,’’ Grandal said. ‘‘I thought we were in the right direction, and we kind of fell off. So still working at getting us back to where we need to be. It’s plain and simple.’’
After hitting .202./.301/.269 with five homers in 99 games last season, Grandal appeared in his 76th game of the season Sunday. He is batting .248/.312/.368 with five homers after going 1-for-4 with three strikeouts.
‘‘I feel great,’’ Grandal, 34, said. ‘‘It’s a matter of being out on the field a little bit more consistently.’’
Grandal will be a free agent after the season and said he wants to keep playing.
‘‘I’m also making that transition over to more of a mentor than anything,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s a lot of things I’m doing behind the scenes that are helping them out, whether it’s approach at the plate, game-planning, processing.’’
Kelly due back Thursday
Reliever Joe Kelly threw a bullpen session Sunday and said he expects to return from the injured list the day he’s eligible to come off, which is Thursday against the Mets.
First-round pick among 17 signees
The Sox agreed to terms with 17 of their 20 selections from the 2023 draft, including first-round pick Jacob Gonzalez, who received a $3.9 million signing bonus.
The Sox picked Gonzalez, a shortstop from the University of Mississippi, 15th overall.
