White Sox Depth Is Examined With Jiménez Injury

The White Sox misplaced a superb chunk of one of the best components of their beginning lineup to the injured listing in 2022. Indeed, it was one of many primary causes the workforce fell to a .500 file after profitable 93 video games the yr prior. So when Eloy Jiménez was positioned on the 10-day IL with a strained hamstring simply 5 video games into the 2023 season, it was an unwelcome reminder of each the workforce’s issues final yr and their restricted depth within the current.

Jiménez, who was one of many two primary prospects acquired from the Cubs within the 2017 José Quintana commerce (Dylan Cease was the opposite), has spent an excessive amount of time on the shelf since 2020. After an encouraging 138 wRC+ within the COVID-shortened season, he tore a pectoral tendon throughout spring coaching in 2021. It required surgical procedure and stored him out till the top of July; final season’s early damage, a torn hamstring tendon, additionally required surgical procedure. Still, Jiménez was in a position to come again extra rapidly than the yr earlier than, and his .305/.372/.523 line after returning was one of many workforce’s highlights over the second half of the season.

Fortunately, this damage doesn’t look like on the identical degree as both of the opposite two. The strained hamstring, ensuing from working the bases in a recreation towards the Giants, shouldn’t be the identical one which required surgical procedure final spring. There has been no discuss of surgical procedure, and the workforce appears comparatively optimistic, floating two to 3 weeks because the timeframe for his return. Jake Burger was referred to as up from Triple-A Charlotte to take Jiménez’s place on the roster.

Eloy Jiménez stated he performed catch and ran at present. He added that if he have been obtainable, he could be able to pinch hit. He shouldn’t be obtainable, however Pedro Grifol stated they’ll be reviewing his day after day as soon as his minimal 10 days on the IL are up.

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) April 6, 2023

A comparatively fast return for the hitter with one of the best energy upside in your roster could be excellent news for any group, but it surely’s particularly essential for the White Sox. The workforce misplaced a giant bat this offseason within the type of longtime first baseman José Abreu, and his talent set isn’t one which Andrew Benintendi can’t simply change. A more healthy Jiménez, enjoying 140 video games a yr, is an important a part of Chicago’s offensive plans, and making an attempt to maintain him wholesome and obtainable is a giant motive they lastly made him the common DH (Jiménez prefers enjoying the outfield).

One of the main causes ZiPS was so down on the White Sox getting into the season wasn’t as a result of it didn’t just like the beginning lineup, however due to what it anticipated to occur if the workforce began shedding gamers to damage. Gavin Sheets is an sufficient sufficient hitter — his respectable ZiPS wRC+ of 103 is definitely essentially the most pessimistic of the projection programs. The downside is that Sheets, along with having restricted defensive worth, is mainly the fallback for practically half the beginning lineup. At the extra offense-forward positions, the higher minors are virtually empty of anybody with any actual upside for the group. Yoelqui Céspedes is the one participant even near that standing, and Charlotte’s outfield is mainly all minor league free brokers pushing 30.

Complicating issues within the occasion of a extra severe Jiménez damage is that the White Sox are already banking on Oscar Colás figuring out instantly. While his first season within the United States was profitable, ZiPS solely has his minor league translation for 2022 at .265/.312/.418 resulting from age and the truth that mainly everybody hit within the minors the final couple years; a mailbox would possibly put up a .750 OPS within the Pacific Coast League. Considering Colás solely has a single season stateside and solely received the slightest style in Triple-A, there’s sufficient danger concerned that the projection programs are removed from offered. Our Depth Charts solely undertaking him for 0.8 WAR over the remainder of the season. ZiPS, the center projection system by way of Colás optimism, solely provides him a 15% likelihood at an OPS+ of 110 this yr, with a one-in-three shot of ending under alternative degree.

As I famous above, after Sheets, the offensive choices for outfielders or designated hitters develop into bleak in a short time. Here are some primary projections for the remaining believable choices:

Not a single one among these gamers initiatives to both get on base at a .300 clip or slug .400. And this was mirrored within the ZiPS sims. In the simulations the place a couple of of Jiménez, Benintendi, or Andrew Vaughn missed important enjoying time, Chicago’s offense dropped like a rock into the underside quarter of the league. The balanced schedule’s barely more durable slate of opponents this yr wrings out one other win or two from the workforce within the Wild Card race.

A greater plan this offseason — one that will have left the Sox much less vulnerable to any accidents or underperformance, and wouldn’t have required spending tons of of hundreds of thousands {dollars} that I doubt anybody might pry away from proprietor Jerry Reinsdorf — would have been to aggressively go after somebody like Michael Conforto or Mitch Haniger, who’re each higher matches at Guaranteed Rate Field than Oracle Park. That would have given Colás time to develop at Triple-Some time nonetheless offering depth for the group so the workforce wouldn’t should depend on Sheets because the all-purpose Plan B. Instead, Benintendi was the membership’s solely important offensive signing (apologies to Elvis Andrus and Hanser Alberto), leaving a lot of the workforce’s hopes wrapped up in the concept we are able to simply neglect in regards to the 2022 season.

The White Sox seem to have dodged a bullet right here with Jiménez’s damage, which isn’t severe sufficient to ship the purple sirens blazing. But over the course of the season there can be loads of alternatives for nastier surprises, and due to the workforce’s selections during the last yr, the group can be hard-pressed to cope with these issues.