White Sox May Be Getting Eloy Jimenez Back Just In Time

Eloy Jimenez underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle on March 31 after trying to rob a home run during a spring training game. He's finally approaching a return, according to the team, after most thought he would miss the season.

His rehab assignment with the high-A Winston-Salem Dash begins this afternoon. Welcome back, Eloy!

Unlike the Cubs, the White Sox have dealt with their injury woes just fine. They currently sit with a comfortable 7.5 game lead in the American League Central, so obviously manager Tony La Russa is pulling the right strings.

Once Jimenez makes his full return, it won't take a Hall of Fame manager to figure this one out: Eloy Jimenez pencils into the lineup as the starting left fielder. A major upgrade over Andrew Vaughn, who's currently batting .241 in Jimenez's absence.

The return of Eloy Jimenez really means that the rest of the division can go ahead and sell at the trade deadline. Teams may not want to admit they can't catch this team, but it's the harsh reality they need to get through their heads. You couldn't match their performance when they were without Nick Madrigal, Eloy Jimenez, and Yasmani Grandal more recently. What makes you think you can now?

As of today, there isn't a timetable for Jimenez's return. We can assume it'll be at least a couple weeks before he's revved up for everyday baseball again.