The White Sox's late-season roster picture gained some clarity over the past couple days, for better or for worse.
In the loss column, the White Sox officially declared Nick Madrigal done for the season. He underwent surgery to repair the proximal tendon tears in his right hamstring, eliminating his chances of returning in 2021. That seemed to be the most likely outcome based on the tenor of Rick Hahn's comments, although everybody involved waited a few days before confirming the course.
The subsequent posts about everybody affected by Madrigal's injury and Danny Mendick's best chance at solidifying his role were written with that outcome in mind. I wouldn't have minded Madrigal miraculously rendering them partially irrelevant, but there is some value in closure.
If there is a transition to an external solution, Mendick's doing a nice job at making it seamless. He's smothering everything on the right side of second base, and he's hit in five straight games, including the go-ahead hit in Tuesday's impressive victory over the Rays. He's 6-for-19 with two doubles, three walks and an HBP over this stretch.
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On the plus side, Eloy Jiménez is returning to baseball activities a little bit earlier than expected. The original timetable for recovering from his ruptured pectoral tendon was five to six months, which would've put him in line for a late-August return at the earliest.
But he's cleared to start the sport-specific start of the comeback trail this week. The White Sox's description now puts late July in play.
Eloy Jiménez has been medically cleared to resume baseball activities at the White Sox complex in AZ. This phase of the rehabilitation process is estimated to take a minimum of 4 weeks, after which Eloy could be cleared for a rehabilitation assignment with a Sox affiliate.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 14, 2021
There's a chance that Jiménez could beat the four-week minimum just like he beat the initial prognosis, but even if the White Sox adhere to that track, it still makes Jiménez's potential contributions a little easier to envision as the trade deadline approaches.
I've been hesitant to consider Jiménez and Luis Robert built-in late-season upgrades because any Nate Jones and Carlos Rodón will tell you that way lies disappointment. It'd suck to see the White Sox pass on a potential corner outfield/DH supplement because they're banking on a comeback that doesn't quite materialize. If Jiménez can start a rehab stint by the ides of July, the Sox have a few weeks around that date to make plans in case of a setback.
The hope is that Robert will join Jiménez shortly in order to double the White Sox's chances of finding some help from within. Rick Hahn's vagueness on injury updates didn't mask any delay for Jiménez when he spoke about them in the wake of Madrigal's injury ...
"Each of them are deep into Phase 1 (of their recoveries) and closing in on getting ready for Part 2, which is the clearance and resumption of baseball activity."
... so perhaps the White Sox will be able to go 2-for-2 with Part 2 before the close of the week.
(Photo by Rob Grabowski/Icon Sportswire)
