Eloy Jimenez is back, ladies and gentlemen.
The AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox got some reinforcement from Eloy Jimenez in his long-awaited return from a pectoral tendon rupture that required surgery.
Chicago dropped a 4-3 decision in Jimenez’s 2021 debut on Monday. However, it didn’t take long for the Silver Slugger to make an impact. On Tuesday night, the 24-year-old outfielder ripped his first home run of the season to power the White Sox past the Kansas City Royals. The ball flew 459 feet, surely making the Royals immediately regret their costly decision to intentionally walk Jose Abreu in the top of the eighth.
Of course, MLB Twitter was thrilled to have Jimenez back. With bombs like this, it doesn’t seem like he’s missed a beat.
Eloy Jimenez blasts 459-foot bomb in his second game back
Impressively, the White Sox went 59-41 without Jimenez to start the 2021 campaign. It’s scary how good they could be with him back on the field. A reminder that Jimenez hit 31 home runs in his rookie campaign and 14 as part of his .296 batting average in the shortened 2020 season.
He’s only in his third year in the big leagues, but Jimenez has an uncanny knack for coming up in key moments. That should bode well for the White Sox down the stretch as the South Siders seek their first division title since 2008.
Equally important is the fact that he’s getting the job done defensively too.
It’s hard not to like a young ballplayer who has a pure love of the game as contagious as Jimenez’s. Welcome back, Eloy.