Chicago White Sox slugger Eloy Jiménez is expected to be sidelined for five to six months after rupturing his left pectoral tendon trying to make a play in the outfield during an exhibition game Wednesday.

Jiménez needs surgery to repair the injury, putting his season in jeopardy. General Manager Rick Hahn said the team will know more when he begins the rehab process.

“Obviously a difficult loss for us, important part of our offense, and one that is a bit of a shock to the system,” Hahn said Thursday on a video conference call, a day after Jiménez was hurt.

“At the same time, if there was one area of this team that perhaps could withstand a significant blow, it would arguably be on the offensive side of things,” he said.

Even before the diagnosis, the injury immediately led to another round of questions about whether Jiménez might be better suited for designated hitter than left field – where he has gotten hurt a couple times since his big league debut in 2019.

“Our biggest concern is Eloy. He’s the guy who’s hurt. He’s the guy that’s got to go through the rehab,” Manager Tony La Russa said.

“As a team, you look at what you have, not what you don’t have. We don’t have him, but we have other guys. It’s not going to be an open spot. Somebody’s going to play there.”

The White Sox are looking for a deep postseason run after they made the playoffs last year for first time since 2008. With Tim Anderson, AL MVP José Abreu and Yoán Moncada, they have one of the most potent lineups in baseball, but Jiménez’s prolonged absence leaves the team without one of its most dangerous hitters.

The 24-year-old Jiménez, who throws and bats right-handed, hit 31 homers in his first year in the majors in 2019. He batted .296 with 14 homers and 41 RBI in 55 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Jiménez got hurt when he tried to make a leaping grab at the wall on Sean Murphy’s solo homer for Oakland in the second inning of Wednesday’s game. Jiménez’s left arm barely moved as he walked off the field with a trainer.

ORIOLES: Matt Harvey is back in the major leagues with Baltimore.

Baltimore selected the contract of the 31-year-old right-hander on Thursday, one week before its season opener at Boston.

Harvey gets a $1 million, one-year contract and the chance to earn performance bonuses.

MARLINS: Pitcher Gio Gonzalez says he has retired after 13 major league seasons.

The 35-year-old left-hander signed a minor league contract with Miami and made one exhibition appearance, allowing seven runs and eight hits last Saturday while getting just one out against Washington, his former team.

“I gave it one last fight, unfortunately my body wasn’t keeping up with my mind,” Gonzalez wrote on Instagram. “My heart and my mind are finally at peace with my decision.”

BOBBY BROWN, an infielder who played on five World Series champions with the New York Yankees and later became a cardiologist and president of the American League, has died. He was 96.

He died Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas, the Yankees said.

Brown played with the Yankees from 1947-54, with Yogi Berra his roommate. He spent eight seasons in the majors and played in a career-high 113 games in 1948, batting .300 with three home runs, 48 RBI. Overall, he batted .279 with 22 home runs and 237 RBI.

He was president of the American League from 1984-94.

 

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