GLENDALE, Ariz. — Sometimes it takes a while for tweaks to work for a hitter.
Then there are times when everything clicks right away.
The latter has been the case this spring for Chicago White Sox designated hitter Eloy Jiménez, who has been scorching hot at the plate.
Jiménez has made some adjustments — including, as hitting coach Marcus Thames pointed out, “trying to make sure his hands are staying up” — with the goal of avoiding grounders as much as possible.
To say “so far, so good” would be an understatement. Jiménez is 13-for-25 (.520) with two doubles, one home run and nine RBIs in nine Cactus League games.
“I feel good,” Jiménez said Thursday. “That is what I worked on in my offseason.
“I feel more comfortable. I feel better. At the beginning, I felt weird. I used to hit like that in the minor leagues, so something I’ve done before. Why not bring it back?”
He has a 1.258 OPS.
“I worked for it — and to see the results are good — when you work on something, you want to see the results,” Jimenez said.
Manager Pedro Grifol said changes that lead to immediate success are a “coach’s dream.”
“A lot of times you make adjustments and you have to wait around a little bit to see it,” Grifol said. “But when you make adjustments and it works right away, number one, that was the right adjustment and number two, just luck of the draw.
“It was a much-needed adjustment, the ball is in the air. He’s got ability, he’s got power, but at the same time, the ball is finding holes, which is really important. And he’s not swinging at bad pitches.”
Grifol added Friday: “For the team, it’s critical for him to be who he can be. And he worked this offseason to do that. And it’s happening right now. He’s in a really good place.
“The adjustments that he made to his swing and approach, they’ve been really good. The ball is getting in the air, which is where we want it. And he’s healthy and he’s strong and he’s running well. There’s a lot of good things happening for Eloy and when that happens, it’s good for the Chicago White Sox.”
Jiménez had 18 homers and 64 RBIs in 120 games last season. During the offseason, he discussed the possibility of reaching 40 home runs while on the “Foul Territory” program.
“I know I can do it because (in) my first year (2019), without knowing the league and without having some confidence on me, I hit 31 (home runs),” he said when asked Thursday. “Now that I have more time in the big leagues and for this year right now, I feel really good. Why not?”
Jiménez knows it comes down to health. Injuries limited him to fewer than 100 games in 2021 and 2022, and last season he was out for an extended period after an appendectomy.
“Three years, having surgeries, it’s nothing fun,” he said. “It was disappointing, but this is another year. I’m here. I’m ready and I feel good.”
Sox make roster cuts, add pitcher Brad Keller on minor-league deal
The Sox optioned outfielder Oscar Colás to Triple-A Charlotte, one of 12 roster cuts announced Friday.
Grifol said the Sox saw improvements from Colás this spring.
“His pitch selection and his plate discipline is much improved,” Grifol said. “He was one of the tops in camp when it comes to non-chases, which was great to see. I think that he was careful out there in the outfield to not make mistakes. Last year he was running wild, this year he was really careful.
“He has to blend that aggressiveness and that carefulness together and become that fundamental player that can be electric. He’s got the capabilities to do that.”
Colás is 3-for-16 in 10 Cactus League games. He hit .216 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 75 games during two stints with the Sox in 2023. He began the season in the majors and finished with Charlotte.
“I explained it to him thoroughly that he had a good camp,” Grifol said. “Numbers within the numbers. And we are happy with his progression. He’s still in the plans for this organization. He’s powerful and athletic. We are going to do everything in our power to unleash that the right way and continue to develop him so he can be someone who helps us down the road.”
Pitchers Davis Martin and Sammy Peralta and infielder José Rodríguez also were optioned to Charlotte, while pitchers Josimar Cousin and Jake Eder were optioned to Double-A Birmingham. Grifol said Martin is “progressing well” as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery.
Pitchers Ky Bush, Fraser Ellard, Edgar Navarro and Lane Ramsey and catchers Adam Hackenberg and Edgar Quero were reassigned to minor-league camp.
The Sox also signed pitcher Brad Keller to a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to major-league camp. Keller went 38-53 with a 4.57 ERA during 150 games (114 starts) with the Kansas City Royals from 2018-23. He plunked Tim Anderson with a pitch in the at-bat following a bat flip, leading to a benches-clearing incident during an April game in 2019.
With the moves, the Sox have 59 players remaining in camp: 31 pitchers, five catchers, 12 infielders and 11 outfielders.
