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Eloy Jiménez goes on the IL for the 8th time with the Chicago White Sox since April 2019

lamond pope, chicago tribune
·3 min read

TORONTO — Eloy Jiménez extended an on-base streak to eight games Tuesday with his first-inning single against the Toronto Blue Jays, then added a double in the fifth.

But just as the designated hitter looked to be warming up, he is headed back to the injured list. Jiménez suffered a strained left hamstring in the 5-0 victory.

“He was feeling good,” manager Pedro Grifol said before Wednesday’s series finale at Rogers Centre. “He played right field in New York Sunday. He actually stole a base (Sunday), wanted to steal third, was moving around well. It’s unfortunate that happened.”

It’s Jiménez’s second IL stint of the season. He was unavailable from April 1-15 after suffering a left adductor strain.

And it’s his eighth time on the IL with the Sox since April 2019.

Jiménez hobbled back to the dugout Tuesday in the fifth inning after scoring from second on a two-run single from Corey Julks.

Grifol said the Sox will have a clearer update in terms of a timeline when the team returns to Chicago.

“He came in (Wednesday), was still a little sore,” Grifol said. “We won’t know enough until we get back to Chicago and do all our evaluations over there.”

Jiménez is slashing .231/.288/.381 with five home runs and 12 RBIs in 36 games. He has a .321/.387/.500 (9-for-28) slash line during the eight-game on-base streak.

The Sox had Tommy Pham in the DH slot Wednesday.

“I’ll use that DH to rotate guys around, for sure,” Grifol said. “The one thing about having a fixed DH is you get a guy like Eloy that can do some damage, a rotating DH you can get guys off their feet.

“Pham has played (13) in a row (in the outfielder), (Andrew) Vaughn had played 16 in a row (at first base before not starting Wednesday). These are guys you can keep in the lineup but get them off their feet and the field.”

In Wednesday’s corresponding move, the Sox called up outfielder Zach DeLoach from Triple-A Charlotte. He slashed .263/.358/.343 with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 38 games for the Knights.

The Sox acquired DeLoach as part of a February trade with the Seattle Mariners. The 25-year-old made his major-league debut Wednesday.

“Something I’ve been working for my whole life, so pretty exciting to see that it’s all kind of paying off,” DeLoach said.

DeLoach said it all kind of hit him when he walked into the visiting clubhouse Wednesday.

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“It was kind of that, ‘We’re here, we’ve arrived,’ ” DeLoach said. “Also at the same time, continue to work, continue to not change what I’m doing, especially as far as not changing my process.”

DeLoach reached base safely in each of his last six games with Charlotte, going 6-for-20 (.300) with two home runs and five RBIs in the stretch. He has 53 home runs and 238 RBIs in 397 games during four minor-league seasons with the Mariners and Sox organizations.

“Zach has had that reputation of just controlling an at-bat, not afraid to take a walk, sees a lot of pitches, showed some power in the minor leagues,” Grifol said. “Just a good professional at-bat.”

He started Wednesday, batting eighth and playing right field.

The Sox also placed reliever Steven Wilson on the 15-day IL with a back strain retroactive to Monday. The right-hander has a 2.84 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 21 appearances.

“Kind of happened on my last set working out yesterday,” Wilson said. “Came in early to get my lift in and right at the end of the lift, kind of a little spasm.

“Maybe not something that will take 15 days, but that’s long enough to where it made sense to make the move today. Nothing serious.”