Rick Hahn didn't want Eloy Jiménez on that wall. He didn't need Eloy Jiménez on that wall.
But because Eloy Jiménez decided to put himself on the wall, he's put himself on the shelf for five to six months with a ruptured pectoral tendon.
We'd discussed a couple times whether Jiménez's lack of coordination would ultimately relegate him to DH, an end that Hahn and the White Sox had previously refused to indulge. After this injury, it seems as though the Sox may be willing to entertain it.
"At some point in the much distant future, we'll talk to him and talk through a plan about perhaps making some better decisions or what we are expecting of him going forward from a defensive standpoint," Hahn said. "For now, and for the immediate future, it's going to be about getting him healthy again and getting him back contributing. For now, it's about health.
"We'll discuss keeping him on the field at a later date."
The phrase "what we are expecting of him" is as notable as the "keeping him on the field" part, because that's where the tension lies. Unlike the typical corner plodder, Jiménez is fast enough to make more plays than he does, so there's always going to be the temptation to make up that deficit. Perhaps this trauma will allow a "do less" message to register, but professional athletes typically try to do the most.
At any rate, Hahn now has to figure out how to supplement the corner outfield situation, which was already compromised with Adam Engel's hamstring strain. Engel's injury was a hindrance and unfortunate, but it didn't nearly resonate as much since he was merely half a platoon, and Leury García can do the same thing. Alas, Engel's injury is no longer an isolated episode of misfortune. Jiménez's absence will require him to come back on time, and with minimal effects.
That's the double-bummer of Jiménez's injury. Everybody around the White Sox loses the enjoyment of what Jiménez brings to the clubhouse, field and box scores, and everybody left has to make sure they're holding up their end of the bargain. An AL Central title is still possible, but their win projection dipping from 88 to 85 wins means that they've just about exhausted their supply of bad breaks before April.
Perhaps Hahn can take advantage of the Mike Tauchman/Jay Bruce situation with the Yankees, or maybe Yoenis Céspedes was waiting for this kind of opportunity. In the more likely event that Hahn has to deal with the consequences of amassing no compelling emergency depth, everybody else has to step up. Yoán Moncada has to look like COVID never existed. José Abreu doesn't have to win the MVP again, but he can't resume his decline, either. Tim Anderson's hyperaggressive approach must continue defying conventional wisdom.
Fortunately, all of those were already necessary for the White Sox's highest aspirations. They're now just more acutely felt.
For a number of other White Sox personnel, their jobs become different, more vital, more crucial. In some particular order...
Tony La Russa
I mentioned on the podcast that while Jiménez's injury is devastating, it'd probably be costlier if Rick Renteria were still in charge. Renteria had a number of assets as manager, but imagination and flexibility weren't among them, and this situation will require both. La Russa has dealt with all sorts of crises over his 34 years of managing mostly contenders, and doing what he can to make players comfortable when asked to do things outside their comfort zones.
This also puts increased emphasis on his management of the pitching staff. You may look at investing in Liam Hendriks as an unnecessary expenditure in the face of a devastating injury to the lineup, and consistency demands I agree. But since Hendriks' money can't be reallocated, a glass-half-full outlook says that protecting every late inning lead is even more important now, and Hendriks helps the Sox toward that end.* You can add the Sox's high-leverage relievers to the Moncada/Abreu group of guys who need to perform, but at least the depth was and is there.
(*This assumes that Hendriks can smoothly return from the kidney stones that might make him reconsider his Dr. Pepper habit.)
Andrew Vaughn
One of the players La Russa will have to manage is Vaughn, who was already asked to do more than advisable by making him the best call for Opening Day DH. On top of that, he's now going to try handling a position that he's never played meaningfully. Hey, at least all his value won't be riding on his bat!
La Russa's staff and former players raved about his ability to put players in a position to succeed. Here, "success" seems like too high a standard, at least as traditionally defined. I'd lower the threshold to "avoid embarrassment," and adjust as Vaughn's acumen for the duties becomes more apparent. His lack of speed is likely to make him a negative, but if he understands that he can't do much in left field, perhaps he'll avoid the pitfall that Jiménez encountered by trying to do too much.
Zack Collins
If Vaughn can stand in left field a few times a week, then a vacancy opens at DH. Collins is a good use of those at-bats, in the sense that he'd finally get a steady chance in the majors to prove that he can or can't hack it in the bigs. This version of Collins, with a .956 OPS and just four strikeouts over 42 plate appearances, is actually worth trying. A cromulent Collins who can rotate with Yasmani Grandal between catcher and DH would soften the blow considerably.
Adam Eaton
When Eaton was at the top of his game, he was a left-handed bat who could hit at the top or the order no matter the pitcher. In the abbreviated 2020 season, his production against lefties plummeted (4-for-39) after he'd hit .290/.359/.428 against them the year before. Was that small-sample weirdness, or is that a specific way the aging process is sapping his production?
With Jiménez in left and Adam Engel providing a right-handed complement in right, the White Sox didn't have to answer that question if they didn't want to. Now, it might be worth playing Eaton every day just to see if he can rediscover some of his past form, which would free up resources to attack left field. Of course, that relies on Eaton overcoming his self-described slow start issues to be able to tell the difference.
Leury García
I've already mentioned the stress on Engel living up to expectations, and García has the same thing going on. He's probably the most comfortable option for everybody involved, because he plays good defense and we generally know not to expect too much. He's also a low-upside option, because his 142 games in center field back in 2019 highlights the threat of overexposure.
- April-May: .301/.338/.378 over 206 PA
- June-July: .268/.298/.378 over 412 PA
García figures to play more with Jiménez out, and he can get on streaks where you don't mind seeing him. He also presents a threat of complacency, at least among decision-makers, and that's if García doesn't remove himself from the roster with one of his own ill-advised efforts.
Danny Mendick/Nick Williams/Billy Hamilton
If the White Sox want to get by with García and Engel, then Mendick is a natural choice for supplementing infield depth, especially since he's already on the 40-man roster. If circumstances take García out of the outfield, then Williams and Hamilton enter the chat.
The fringe outfielders define the concept of replacement level in different ways. Williams can hit a little, but his defensive metrics are atrocious. Hamilton can flag them down and run the bases, but he can't get on base. Both are fine/negligible if they're truly regarded as bench players, rather than attempts to fill Jiménez's production.
If they're asked to do more, then the White Sox would be running into the lack-of-imagination issues that hampered the Renteria era. The White Sox are supposed to be beyond that, but they were also supposed to be beyond early-season depth issues. Yet here we are.
(Photo via @whitesox on Twitter)
