Chicago Sports Exchange: Returning Jiménez's Immediate Future Should Be DH-Bound, Nowhere Near Outfield
Hawks move Heaven and Boqvist for Jones while Sky's Dolson takes Tokyo by storm
Sometimes, you have to protect people from themselves.
In Tony La Russa’s case, that means playing keep-away with Eloy Jiménez’s outfield duties as the headstrong 24-year-old makes his long-awaited season debut against Kansas City tonight.
Jiménez doesn’t want to designated hit. He’s made that crystal clear. But, considering he just skimmed a month off the most ambitious projection for his return from the latest of three injuries he’s suffered while playing left field, insisting that he grit his teeth through a positional change seems like the right thing to do.
And yet La Russa is on the fence.
“I anticipate he’ll play (Monday) as a DH or left field, I’m not sure,” La Russa told reporters before the White Sox ended a three-game skid and staved off being swept in Milwaukee Sunday. “But I understand both are available.”
It’s true. Jiménez manned left field in nine of the 12 games he played during his rehab assignment with Winston-Salem and Charlotte, and even made a spectacular sliding catch while playing for the Knights Tuesday.
But just because he can play out there doesn’t mean he should.
At least not on a regular basis for the remainder of this season. Not for a team that, of any division leader in baseball, sports the widest gap between it and its closest competitor and is still giving chase to its championship aspirations.
Besides, Andrew Vaughn has settled in quite nicely in left field. Although he’s not as fleet of foot as Jiménez, Vaughn doesn’t write checks with his eyes that his glove can’t cash (as Jiménez is wont to do). He’s also been on a tear at the dish this month, hitting .324/.347/.592 with four home runs, nine RBIs and 23 hits in 71 plate appearances.
That alone will buy the rookie more rope.
“You get what you earn, and I don’t think that Eloy being here is going to take at-bats away from Andrew,” La Russa said.
“Maybe a time or two where you want a left-handed hitter in there and Eloy’s going to play, but right now Andrew is swinging the bat as well as anyone on the team. And he’s earned it and we’re trying to win.”
To do that, the Sox (59-40) need the silver slugger’s bat, not his glove. Particularly against the Red Sox, Rays, and Astros of the world, who’ve held the Sox more than two runs below their season average (2.64 vs 4.98) and beaten them a combined eight times in 14 games.
The Sox have been fortunate to overcome a rash of soft tissue injuries to several position players, two of whom (Luis Robert and Yasmani Grandal) are working their way back and another (Nick Madrigal) who’ll remain on the mend for the rest of this season.
Now’s not the time to press their luck.
HOLD — Bowman Makes “Win Now” Gamble In Seth Jones Trade
Reservations about return on investment aside, Seth Jones seems nice enough.
The Chicago Blackhawks’ new $76 million dollar man whose arrival also came at the expense of an emerging Adam Boqvist and still other assets, poured out endearing vibes when he spoke to the media Saturday.
The 26-year-old son of former NBA player turned Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach, “Popeye” Jones, appeared confident, not cocky. Self-aware, not disconnected. Motivated, not complacent.
Blackhawks: Five Reasons The Seth Jones Trade Was The Right Call (Blackhawk Up)
That being said, introductory press conferences (even those on a Chicago River cruise) can’t answer for Stan Bowman’s roll of the dice. Only Jones returning to some semblance of the defenseman he was three years ago can do that.
For Bowman’s sake and the team’s foregone financial flexibility, let’s hope Jones proves himself worthy of the arms and legs it took to bring him here.
BUY — “Big Mama Stef” Takes Tokyo With USA 3X3
Luckily, Stefanie Dolson and her Olympic teammates have met far less resistance in the inaugural 3x3 basketball tournament in the Tokyo Games than this writer has trying to watch them live in the wee hours of the morning.
Their lone nail-biting victory against a scrappy Chinese team Monday—hours after Dolson supplied six points, seven rebounds and a block in a win against Italy—kept Team USA unbeaten and helped the Americans clinch a bye to the semifinal round Wednesday.
The job’s not done yet, but “Big Mama Stef” looks to be well on her way to a fourth gold medal after three won at the junior national level.
Drew Stevens is a Senior Writer for WARR Media, he lives and works in Chicago