Eloy Jimenez quickly digested how the Guardians and other opponents could continue to take advantage of his limited mobility in left field.
“It’s OK,” Jimenez said Sunday. “I will be there for that. They can eat right now. I’m going to eat later.”
At the plate, Jimenez has started to feast on opponents. He hit his second home run in as many games, a solo shot on a slider off Shane Bieber that provided insurance in a 6-3 victory over the Guardians.
“I always looking for fastball,” Jimenez said after making the proper adjustment. “I’ve been feeling pretty good at the plate, and let’s keep rolling.”
Since returning from surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right hamstring, Jimenez is 9-for-41 (.220) with three homers and eight RBI. The Sox hope Jimenez can increase his production to compensate for the team’s overall lack of power in the first half. This marked the first time Jimenez homered in consecutive games since Aug. 8-9, 2021.
But before Jimenez can regain redemption, the discomfort in his surgically repaired right hamstring must subside or allow him to curb the freedom that baserunners have displayed on hits to either side.
The pain “is going to be there for a while,” Jimenez said before Sunday’s game. “It’s normal, but it’s something you don’t want to feel when you’re playing. But I’ll try to do my best, go out there and help the team.”
Jimenez handled the designated hitter duties Sunday and has played left field only six times since returning July 6. Manager Tony La Russa acknowledged the Guardians have been aggressive, but he’ll continue to monitor Jimenez’s legs.
Meanwhile, Jimenez feels no pressure to play while ailing.
“I don’t feel any pressure because I try to do whatever I can do to help the team,” Jimenez said. “Everyone knows here even if I’m in pain, I want to play. It’s something you don’t want to feel. But if you have it, you need to play with it. So for me, it’s not pressure. It’s a challenge.”
Timely switch
Second baseman Josh Harrison was scratched from the lineup because of discomfort in his right leg that he experienced in his last at-bat in Saturday’s doubleheader.
But Leury Garcia sparked the offense with a two-run homer off Bieber in the second. It was Garcia’s first homer since May 4 against the Cubs.
La Russa believed Harrison would be available when the Sox open a two-game series Tuesday night at Colorado.
Meanwhile, center fielder Luis Robert will continue his work in Chicago while he recovers from blurred vision. “He’s making progress,” La Russa said of Robert, who is eligible to be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.
La Russa said he was advised by trainer James Kruk to give a rest Sunday to outfielder Andrew Vaughn, who has coped with leg soreness.
