Eloy sprains ankle attempting catch at LF wall
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CHICAGO -- White Sox left fielder Eloy Jiménez departed Friday night’s 12-11 walk-off victory over the Tigers with two out in the third inning due to a right ankle sprain. X-rays were negative and Jimenez will undergo an MRI on Saturday as part of the standard evaluation process.
“Besides pain, I feel good because we won,” said Jimenez, wearing a protective boot on his right foot following the come-from-behind excitement capped by Tim Anderson's winning homer in the ninth. “Right now, there’s a little bit more than normal. But I’m going to be all right.”
“He walked off the field,” manager Rick Renteria said. “So, I’m optimistic.”
Jimenez, who returned from the bereavement list on Friday after traveling to the Dominican Republic due to the death of his paternal grandmother, attempted to rob Grayson Greiner of a two-run homer. Jimenez raced back to the wall for the drive that landed well into the White Sox bullpen at Guaranteed Rate Field, but he got his right foot caught on the padding while trying to brace himself after realizing the ball was gone.
Renteria and head athletic trainer Brian Ball ran out to left to check on Jimenez, who was down on the ground in noticeable pain. He was able to stand up and walk around the warning track initially, as Renteria mentioned, but he needed help from Renteria and Ball when they reached third base.
With inclement weather putting Saturday’s game in early jeopardy, more information on the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline might not be known until pregame on Sunday.
“I’m just trying to catch the ball. But when I found out the wall was too close, I tried to reach with my foot and it just got twisted,” Jimenez said. “When it happened, I was like ‘Oh, my God. This is not feeling good. It’s feeling really painful.’
“I feel a little bit of pain when I press on it, but I know it’s because it’s swollen a little bit. But I’m going to be good.”