Eloy Jiménez went through drills — including light jogging — with the Chicago White Sox training staff Saturday morning at Guaranteed Rate Field.
It was a scene that has become all too familiar for the designated hitter.
Jiménez is on the injured list after suffering a left hamstring strain Tuesday during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. He previously was sidelined from April 1-15 after suffering a left adductor strain. This is his eighth time on the IL with the Sox since April 2019.
“(Tuesday) was actually the first day I felt 100% after (coming back from the) IL,” Jiménez said Saturday morning. “If you’re asking me how to explain it to you, I don’t know how. It just sucks.”
General manager Chris Getz said Jiménez will be out for four to six weeks.
“I think I’ve been doing what I’m supposed to be doing, and it just keeps happening,” Jiménez said. “At the end of the day, I just thank God that he gave me the opportunity to be here and work my ass off every single day.
“We have so many questions that we don’t have the answers to yet. But we’re going to keep working. It sucks that it happens, but at the end of the day, I’m not going to sit here and just be sorry for myself. I’m going to find the answer and keep working.”
Jiménez was showing signs of warming up at the plate, slashing .321/.387/.500 (9-for-28) during an eight-game on-base streak.
“You feel for Eloy,” Getz said Friday. “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. We look forward to getting (Bryan) Ramos and (center fielder) Luis (Robert Jr.) back (from the IL) and eventually (third baseman) Yoán (Moncada) and Eloy when he’s ready.”
Ramos returned from the 10-day IL in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in front of 22,283. The third baseman went 0-for-4 in his first game since May 14, when he suffering a strained left quad.
Sox starter Erick Fedde scattered three hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings. But the Orioles got to the bullpen, hitting three home runs in a five-run eighth inning.
Ryan O’Hearn hit a two-run homer against Jordan Leasure to cut the Sox lead to 3-2. Anthony Santander hit a two-run home run against Michael Kopech, putting the Orioles ahead 4-3. Kopech also surrendered a solo home run to Jordan Westburg.
“I didn’t execute when I needed to, paid the price,” Kopech said. “Sorry that Fedde didn’t get the win there, he pitched a great game. But yeah, I’ve got to wear that one for a little bit.”
Fedde bounced back after matching a season high by allowing five runs Monday in Toronto. He struck out six and walked three in Saturday’s 103-pitch outing.
“Honestly, my stuff wasn’t great early in the game,” Fedde said. “I felt it got better as time went on. For the most part I was living on the edges. I felt like I was able to stay out of the middle of the plate and prevent damage.
“Would have liked to have finished the seventh and make it easier on Leasure and Kopech just going into their own clean innings. Frustrated with that on my end. But, just want to keep going, keep getting deep in games and giving us chances to win.”
At 15-38, the Sox are off to their worst 53-game start in franchise history. They have lost four straight and eight of nine while falling to 23 games under .500 for the first time this season.
“Tough loss,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “That one hurt. They all hurt, but this one really hurt.”
The team’s last victory came Tuesday. Jiménez suffered the injury that evening while while scoring from second in the fifth inning.
“I said, ‘Not again,’ ” Jiménez said. “That was my reaction. But I said, ‘I’m not going to sit here and be sorry for myself. I’m just going to work hard.’
“I know one day I’m going to find the answer to this. This is going to be just a bad dream, a nightmare.”
Jiménez was surprised when he initially heard the recovery timeline. But he’s motivated to return as soon as possible.
“I like to play,” Jiménez said. “I don’t like to be in the dugout and not do anything. For me, yes, this is a challenge. Everything is a challenge. Every time that I go to the IL is a challenge.
“I’ll come back, and I know I’m going to come back stronger than ever. I know at the end of the day, this is not what I want, but I need to just keep working.”
