Eloy out 4-6 weeks after appendectomy

CINCINNATI — The White Sox had been dealt a blow on Saturday as slugger Eloy Jiménez underwent an appendectomy and is anticipated to overlook 4 to 6 weeks. Replacing their cleanup hitter will probably be a troublesome activity going ahead, and his absence was instantly felt.

Chicago strung collectively eight hits within the center sport of a three-game collection towards the Reds, however the White Sox solely had two innings with a number of hits as they fell, 5-3, at Great American Ball Park.

Already with out third baseman Jake Burger (tied for the group lead with seven homers and sidelined with an indirect damage) and Yoán Moncada (rehabbing a sore decrease again) Chicago’s lineup lacked its standard pop.

The White Sox did get two house runs — from Hanser Alberto within the second and Seby Zavala within the fourth — however each led off their respective innings and the South Siders by no means posted a crooked quantity. The group was simply 1-for-8 with runners in scoring place, as Cincinnati native Andrew Benintendi’s third-inning RBI double was the outlier.

“It’s another hurdle for us,” outfielder Gavin Sheets mentioned of shedding Jiménez, who skilled belly ache after Friday’s sport that intensified in a single day and required a visit to the hospital on Saturday morning. “Losing his presence, it’s tough. How talented he is and the way he’s swinging the bat. But more than that, outside of baseball, it’s a scary situation. Glad we got it handled.”

Losing Jiménez could be robust at any level, however it’s particularly painful contemplating he was having his greatest stretch of the season earlier than the acute appendicitis. The 26-year-old was driving an eight-game hitting streak during which he was slashing .424/.472/.636 with two house runs.

The center of Chicago’s lineup was beginning to come collectively, with Luis Robert Jr. lastly hitting his stride. The White Sox will probably be much more depending on their middle fielder now, who has reached base in 14 of his final 23 plate appearances after choosing up a single, double and two HBPs on Saturday.

“[Eloy] is our four-hole hitter. He was swinging the bat really well,” White Sox supervisor Pedro Grifol mentioned. “Robert now is swinging the bat really well. Today was his fourth straight game with an extra-base hit, and that ties a career high for him. So being able to have those two guys swinging the bat at the same time, with a couple of other guys, and Moncada doing his rehab, it was promising. But that’s life. There’s stuff you’ve got to deal with, and we’ve got to move on. Thank God everything came out all right.”

The White Sox have needed to cope with Jiménez’s absence earlier this season when he missed 9 video games with a left hamstring pressure. The group went 3-5 throughout that early-April stretch, however its lineup was additionally more healthy than it’s now.

Reinforcements ought to arrive earlier than Jiménez’s anticipated return in June. Moncada started a rehab task with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday and will return from his decrease again soreness quickly if all goes effectively. Burger’s timeline associated to a notoriously tough indirect pressure is extra up within the air.

Until then, the White Sox have their work lower out for them to supply with out leaning on their $43 million slugger.

“This is nothing new for this team to have to battle against some adversity,” mentioned Mike Clevinger, who struck out seven whereas permitting 4 runs in six innings on Saturday. “I hope everything goes well with his procedure. I just want to see him back here. He changes our lineup, that’s for sure. But it’s next guy up around here.”