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The Chicago White Sox are pretty good right now.
Soon they will be even better.
“When we get Eloy and Robert back, I think they’ll help us take it to the next level,” White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson told NBC Sports Chicago on Tuesday. “I think there is more.”
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Looking at the rankings, it’s hard to understand what “more” might mean. The White Sox have the best winning percentage in the American League, and their eight-and-a-half game advantage in AL Central is the biggest division lead in baseball.
But “more” can also fall into the category of expected.
After all, the White Sox made their World Series aspirations known during spring training, when Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert were expected to be daily contributors in the middle of roster. Instead, major injuries knocked them out for huge chunks of the campaign, Jiménez down since late spring with a ruptured pectoral tendon and Robert sidelined since early May, when he tore his hip flexor.
And these two big boppers are just two of the four everyday starters currently missing from the White Sox’s starting lineup. Nick Madrigal is out for the year after tearing his hamstrings, and Yasmani Grandal will miss an indefinite time – although expected before the end of the regular season – after undergoing surgery to repair a tendon torn at the knee.
It doesn’t matter. The White Sox have received some incredible contributions from the guys called in to fill in. They’ve won eight of their last 10 and 13 of their last 18, with the most recent a thrilling victory thanks to one of those substitutes. , Gavin Sheets, pitching a home run against All-Star pitcher José Berríos on Monday night.
“We’re in a good position right now,” Anderson said. “Everyone is playing well. But the more bats we have in the lineup, the better off we are.
“We’ve just got to keep pushing, man, and know what we’re capable of and know what we can do any night. You see it last night, (Berríos) was having a hell of a game, but with a bang. , you can ruin it and it can take the “L”.
“We’ve come this far without these guys. We’ve been working, day in and day out, with what we have. To get these guys back on their way back, they’re definitely going to give us a little spark, too, because we we will be delighted to find them. “
Jiménez, currently in rehab at Triple-A Charlotte, and Robert, who began a Class A rehab in Winston-Salem on Wednesday, are just about the best mid-summer additions than any. competitor could imagine. Jiménez is a threat from 40 home runs in a full season, an already elite enough bat, just 177 games in his major league career, that he won a Silver Slugger in 2020 thanks to one of the best offensive seasons in the world. the AL. Robert, meanwhile, is so electrifying he’s been described as a “player with six tools” who can change the game in a number of ways: as a moon home hitter, Gold Glover in center field and as than speedster on basic paths.
And while the White Sox are expected to take action before next week’s trade deadline – GM Rick Hahn has promised an aggressive approach, and there are indeed needs to be addressed – no move they could make. will only have more impact to re-install these two bats in the middle of their alignment.
What is already a championship capable roster that the White Sox have been talking about for months will be greatly improved just by becoming healthy. And given the production and victory the White Sox were able to achieve without Jiménez and Robert, there will be nothing more required than these two themselves to potentially launch the South Siders into the stratosphere.
“There are definitely high expectations for these guys when they come back, but I just want them to show up and play the game the way they always played it,” White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodón told NBC Sports. Chicago. “I hope they weren’t under any pressure. Although the guys who replaced, they didn’t seem to mind too much pressure. So I hope they take the same script from them and get away from it all. present and play.
“I think it’s going to be really exciting in the last row when we get Eloy and Luis back, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
It looks like it will. The White Sox have done more than just stay afloat during the absences of their star outfielders. They have established themselves as real contenders.
With these guys back in the lineup, it’s a shock that’s hard to measure. And whoever could send the White Sox from contenders to potential favorites.
“We are delighted to hear that they are coming back soon,” said White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada. “Don’t disrespect anyone, because we have a good team here, but we miss two players and when they come back we will be a much better team.
“This is why we are so excited.”
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