ATLANTA — White Sox right fielder Eloy Jimenez left the team’s 8-1 victory against the Braves Sunday with left groin tightness. He is being further evaluated Monday, and could 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 against the Mets Tuesday in New York.
Jimenez was hurt just before he hit first base when he grounded into a double play in the first inning against left-hander Kolby Allard. He played his position in the bottom of the inning. Gavin Sheets pinch hit for Jimenez in the second inning.
The No. 4 hitter in manager Pedro Grifol’s lineup, Jimenez is batting .270/.314/.465 in 62 of the Sox’ 85 games this season. It’s 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 the lefty.”
Grandal says he’s not finished after 2023
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 club history, surpassing Jose Abreu’s $68 million deal.
The Sox probably expected more, too, when they added a catcher proven to be a plus offensive threat with plate discipline and high marks for framing. But aside from 2021, when he batted .240/.420/.520 with 23 home runs and a .939 OPS in 99 games for the Sox’ AL Central champion squad, and the 60-game 2020 season when he played in 46 games (.230/.351/.422, eight homers) for a Wild Card team, Grandal’s 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 Sunday. “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 — as the designated hitter Sunday — appeared in his 76th of the Sox’ 95 games. 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. When I was on the field more consistently, I was producing. And then I stopped. So I’m just trying to do my job.”
Grandal will be a free agent after the season. He says 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, gameplan, processing.”
Kelly due back Thursday
Joe Kelly threw a bullpen and said he expects to return from the injured list the day he’s eligible to come off Thursday against the Mets.
First-rounder Gonzalez, 16 other draftees agree to terms
The Sox agreed to terms with 17 of their 20 selections from the 2023 draft, including first-round pick (15th overall) shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, who received a $3.9-million signing bonus.
Kelly due back Thursday
Joe Kelly threw a bullpen and said he expects to return from the injured list the day he’s eligible to come off Thursday against the Mets.
