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| Eloy Jimenez |
I arrived at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday and looked at the White Sox starting lineup on the scoreboard, and it was hard not to notice the pathetic averages for the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 hitters in the batting order.
Yonder Alonso, Welington Castillo and Nicky Delmonico lived up to those ugly numbers, going 0 for 12 with five strikeouts in a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
It's too bad, because a quality start by Reynaldo Lopez went to waste, and the Sox (21-24) missed an opportunity to take three out of four from the struggling Blue Jays (19-28). The South Siders had to settle for a split of the four-game series, and a split of the six-game homestand.
But there's help on the way. Eloy Jimenez has been activated off the injured list and is in the lineup for the series opener Monday against the Houston Astros. Jimenez has been out since spraining his ankle April 26 in a collision with the left-field wall. He went 7 for 22 with a homer in five games on a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Charlotte.
To make room on the roster, the Sox optioned Delmonico to Charlotte. His batting average is down to .206, and we know he isn't much with the glove, either. It's hard to see a role for Delmonico in Chicago over the long haul. He'll likely be joining Adam Engel on the organizational scrap heap.
As for Jimenez, it's a relief to have him back. The injury, when it happened, looked bad enough that I thought Jimenez would be sidelined until at least June 1. It's May 20, and he's returning. Hopefully, he doesn't have any run-ins with the Crawford boxes in left field in Houston, and hopefully, he can help provide some lineup protection for Jose Abreu.
This figures to be a challenging week for the Sox. They are on the road to play the two best teams in the American League -- the Astros (31-16) and the Minnesota Twins (30-16).
It's a seven-game trip, and I'd be thrilled with 3-4. Frankly, I'd take 2-5 right now if you offered it to me.
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