One thought went through White Sox designated hitter Eloy Jimenez’s mind as he ran toward the plate Tuesday against the Blue Jays: ‘‘Not again.’’
In an all-too-familiar scenario for Sox fans, Jimenez will miss four to six weeks with a strained left hamstring he suffered in Toronto. He went on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
It’s the eighth time Jimenez has landed on the injured list in his five-plus major-league seasons. The injury happened as he ran between third and home in the Sox’ 5-0 victory. In a cruel twist, Jimenez said that Tuesday was the first time he felt 100% since coming off the injured list. He’s unsure why he continues to suffer these injuries.
“If you’re asking me to explain it to you, I don’t know how,” he said. “It just sucks.”
The Sox’ middle-of-the-lineup hitters continue to be hit with the injury bug. Jimenez, third baseman Yoan Moncada and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. keep suffering injuries. Moncada and Robert have combined to play in 18 of the team’s 53 games. Jimenez has played in only 36.
“Eloy is someone that’s a big part of this lineup going into this year,” general manager Chris Getz said Friday. “You’re talking about Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert Jr. and Jimenez; those are core offensive pieces. To lose them at any point of the season, you take a hit.
‘‘You feel for Eloy. I know he wants to be out there. He certainly began to have some productive at-bats for us, but there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
The Sox have done a deep dive into why injuries occur so frequently for Jimenez. They believe he’s doing the necessary maintenance work to ward off injuries, but something isn’t working.
Jimenez’s — and, by extension, Moncada’s and Robert’s — inability to stay on the field is partly why the Sox’ latest competitive window closed shut. With Getz looking toward the future through trades and what the team has brewing in the minors, could Jimenez’s days with the Sox be numbered?
“I’m never thinking about going away from the White Sox,” Jimenez said. “I know this is a business, but that’s not my thought. I want to be great for the team, I want to be great for the fans and I want to help the team win a World Series. That’s my mindset.”
Ramos returns
Third baseman Bryan Ramos (strained left quadriceps) was activated off the injured list and returned Saturday. Ramos was finding his stride before the injury, slashing .281/.294/.344. He went 0-for-4 against the Orioles.
“He’s extremely talented, looks the part, then came up here and performed,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “I get excited to see the adjustments that are going to have to be made, how he makes them and how he continues to develop because he’s a big part of the future here. If he does this right and we do this right, he can really impact this team and this organization.”
The Sox optioned outfielder Zach DeLoach, who was hitless in five at-bats with three strikeouts, to Triple-A Charlotte.
