BALTIMORE -- Eloy Jiménez was assigned to High-A Winston-Salem on Friday to begin a rehab assignment after suffering a ruptured pectoral tendon in Spring Training. His first start was postponed due to rain, leaving White Sox fans and staff members on the edge of their seats for his return on Saturday.

In the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday, as the Dash took on the Hickory Crawdads -- the Texas Rangers’ High-A affiliate -- Jiménez smacked a home run on the first pitch.

“You telling me is the first I've heard,” joked manager Tony La Russa when asked what his reaction was. “I'm sure the guys, when they hear that, that will give them a jolt. As a team, to be where we are without him … guys start to own the fact that they're going to play hard and play with whoever we’ve got, but they know it helps on the way. He would be humongous. Just be patient. The guys will get a big [kick out of it]; I'm getting a kick out of it.”

Jiménez finished 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in Game 1 of Saturday’s scheduled doubleheader. Dash manager Ryan Newman expects the slugger to start in left field in Sunday’s matchup, after making his first appearance since the injury in the DH slot.

Getting Jiménez back would add a huge offensive boost to the already hot White Sox lineup. The 2020 American League Silver Slugger finished second on the team in doubles (14), home runs (14), RBIs (41) and slugging percentage (.559) last season.

“The fact that he's actually out there to play games, it's a big step in the right direction,” said La Russa. “We're really excited for him. … [It] seems to us that if we were really patient and he stayed healthy, 20 days would be a lot of work and good swings. I know he's going to be anxious to produce once he shows up here, and you want to be fair. You want him to have some timing and not be unfair to him, asking him to be a big league producer before he's really ready.”

Brian Goodwin finding his groove
Since signing a Minor League contract with the White Sox on May 5, Goodwin has wanted to prove that he can still compete in the Majors. A month later, when he was called up to the bigs, he proved that to La Russa, his teammates and himself.

In Saturday’s contest against the Orioles, the cleanup hitter went 4-for-5, including his fourth homer of the year. He’s now slashing .282/.371/.541 in 24 games with Chicago. Though, for Goodwin, he still feels like he has even more in the tank.

“I still feel like I [have] a lot to give,” said Goodwin. “I feel like I’ve got a lot to accomplish still -- I'm nowhere near where I want to be. So to come out and play and have good at-bats and see some results and win some games on a great ballclub … [it] means a lot.”

After being released by the Pirates on May 3, Goodwin has been using that moment as motivation. He told La Russa when Chicago signed him that he was playing with a chip on his shoulder.

“I’ve got something to prove every day,” said Goodwin. “If you’re not right in their face doing it, then they'll forget about you and [me] like it never happened. So every day I come out here and I try to have that mentality and keep moving forward. Keep pushing forward and give it everything I got.”