Eloy Jiménez tries to understand ‘frustrating’ hamstring injury originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
Rounding third base for home against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Eloy Jiménez sprained hamstringlimping back to the dugout.
The first thought that came to his mind was dark.
“Not again.”
Jiménez has a history of torturous injuries in his five seasons with White socks. And he already missed 12 games in April with a left adductor strain. But the injury bug came back to bite him once again.
“That was the first day I felt 100% after the IL,” Jiménez told the media on Saturday before the White Sox-Orioles game. “And if you’re asking me how to explain this to you, I don’t know how. It just sucks.”
Jiménez has been on the injured list eight times in his career. But he has missed games with more than 20 different injuries, according to Fox Sports.
He played 120 games last season, which seemed like progress for his perennial injuries. In the three seasons prior to 2023, he has played 84, 55 and 55 games in each season respectively. His record for games played in a single season comes from his rookie year, when he played in 122 games.
Of course, when you’ve been injured as many times as Jiménez, someone would start to question your recovery routine and even your luck. Like the rest of us, Jiménez is equally perplexed.
“I always ask myself that question because I think I’ve been doing what I’m supposed to do and it just happened,” Jiménez said. “And at the end of the day, I just thank God. He gave me the opportunity to be here and work hard every day.”
Jiménez mentioned him and the White Sox are investigating what might be causing his consistency on the injured list. GM Chris Getz mentioned on Friday that the organization looked inside and out to try to find out.
Interestingly, Jiménez initially thought he would only be out for two or three weeks with a hamstring injury. But Getz said he will be out 4 to 6 weeks.
It hasn’t been an easy road for Jiménez, but he’s determined to figure out how to stay on the field.
“It’s frustrating, especially when I start to feel better at the plate,” Jiménez said. “It sucks, but like I said, I’m not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself. I’m just going to keep working hard and see what happens.
“I know that one day I will find the answer and it will just be a bad dream.”
