With Jiménez's return, Sox are just one shy of Big 3 reunion

DETROIT -- It was a bit of a surprise to see Eloy Jiménez in the White Sox clubhouse ahead of Sunday's matinee at Comerica Park, but there was no denying his return was a welcome one.

"I feel excited, especially after coming from Arizona. It's 115 degrees over there," Jiménez with a smile. "I'm glad to be back."

After he hit .444 for the Rookie-league ACL White Sox in six rehab games, Jiménez batted third in the 11-2 loss to the Tigers. Chicago's designated hitter finished 1-for-4 with a run scored in his return.

This marked his second comeback from injury this season, and Jiménez said afterward that he was sore following the game but that he was committed to moving forward from the left hamstring that had sidelined him for the past month.

"That's in the past already," he said. "Now we're here, and we're just going to keep going."

Luis Robert Jr. had a scheduled off-day Sunday, so Jiménez's return meant that Chicago is now just Yoán Moncada shy of reuniting its Big 3 for the first time since the season-opening series against Detroit on March 28-31.

When the trio went down, it happened fast: Jiménez has been out of action since May 21, when he strained his hamstring scoring on a grounder during the White Sox loss to the Blue Jays. He was also on the injured list from April 2-15 with a left adductor strain. Chicago lost Robert from April 6-June 4 with a right hip flexor strain.

Moncada, who has recently progressed to running and other activities at the team's facilities in Arizona, has been gone since April 10 with a left adductor strain.

The heart of Chicago's order had just those first three games of the season together and hit .222 (8-for-36) in that stretch. Though it's hard to quantify just how much they might have boosted the lineup in 2024 given the small sample size, it seems likely that anything would have helped during this frustrating first half.

“It's been a collective thing that I think different departments [pitching, offense and defense] have had opportunities to win some baseball games late and close them out, and we haven't done it," manager Pedro Grifol said. “We have to do a better job at it.”

The White Sox and their fan base need something positive to latch onto, and watching the middle of the lineup at full health and producing -- even for a little while -- would be a good start. Jiménez hit .272 last season, with 23 doubles, 18 homers and 64 RBIs. Moncada hit .260 with 40 RBIs, 11 homers and 20 doubles. Robert had the best season of the three. The center fielder slashed .264/.315/.542 with 80 RBIs, 20 steals and 38 home runs to earn his first All-Star selection and American League Silver Slugger Award.

"We've only had [three] games with all three of them together [this season], so I'm kind of looking forward to that," Grifol said.

Grifol hinted on Friday that Jiménez could return by Monday's home game against the Dodgers, but hours before the White Sox faced the Tigers on Sunday, the club made his activation official. Outfielder Oscar Colás was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move.

Jiménez tested out his legs on Sunday while going from first to third without issue on a Gavin Sheets double in the seventh inning and later scored the White Sox first run.

"[Jiménez has] been moving around pretty good," Grifol said, "and we're welcoming him with open arms."

Grifol said that Moncada had progressed to "everything but playing" during his rehab process and estimated that the infielder would join the Rookie-level ACL White Sox lineup in the coming week. Moncada is ahead of schedule from the original timetable of 3-to-6 months, and depending on how quickly he reacclimates to games, the Big 3 could be back and boosting the lineup right on the other side of the All-Star break.

The best-case scenario is that the White Sox 2024 turns into a Tale of Two Halves. With Jiménez and Robert back in action, Chicago might only be one piece away from completing another part of the puzzle.