As reported by 670 The Score's Shane Riordan, Eloy Jiménez will indeed begin his rehab stint with the Winston-Salem Dash starting today. On Thursday, Jiménez made an appearance on Zoom with his usual ebullience.
Coming back after an absence of more than three months due to a ruptured left pectoral tendon, Jiménez might need all of the 20 days to get back into game shape. I'd call that a fortunate outcome, if only because setbacks exist. Jiménez intends on not needing anything else:
“They have not given me a timeline,” said Jiménez during a Thursday Zoom session, when asked if there was a target date for his comeback. “But I think I can be there at the end of this month. That’s my thought, but I don’t know. They don’t tell me when I’m going to be there.
“I feel better than Spring Training. I feel like 100%, 110% -- let’s say 200%. So I feel pretty normal. I feel like I can go and do my swing, finish with one hand, two hands, whatever.”
Jiménez says he'd rather not serve as the designated hitter if he doesn't have to, but it's hard to find a reason to play him in the field -- not with an open concern at DH and at least five outfielders better than him.
Winston-Salem finishes out a home series with Hickory this weekend, after which they'll play the following week in Bowling Green, Ky. That's an hour north of Nashville, so I'll be there if he is. And even if he isn't. It's the All-Star break, after all.
Charlotte 4, Jacksonville 2 (Game 1, 7 innings)
- Blake Rutherford went 2-for-4 with a homer.
- Luis González was 1-for-3 with a K.
- Ti'Quan Forbes went 0-for-1 with two walks.
- Jonathan Stiever: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP
Charlotte 4, Jacksonville 3 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Blake Rutherford was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Yermín Mercedes, 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Luis González went 1-for-3 with a K.
- Ti'Quan Forbes singled, hit a sac fly and struck out.
- Jimmy Lambert: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Birmingham 12, Biloxi 2
- Romy Gonzalez went 2-for-5 and was caught stealing.
- Micker Adolfo was 2-for-5 with a homer and two strikeouts.
- Carlos Pérez went 2-for-4 with a walk.
- Kade McClure: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Hickory 8, Winston-Salem 7
- Lenyn Sosa did what Romy Gonzalez did above.
- Yoelqui Céspedes went 2-for-5 with two doubles, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Yolbert Sanchez was 1-for-4 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
- Luis Curbelo went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Catcher Kleyder Sanchez has surfaced in Winston-Salem, and went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
ACL Brewers 7, ACL White Sox 2 (7 innings)
- Wilber Sanchez had a perfect night: 3-for-3 with a double and a walk.
- Benyamin Bailey was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Wilfred Veras, 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Logan Glass tripled and struck out twice.
- Anthony Espinoza singled and struck out twice.
- Matthew Thompson began rehabbing: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
- Cristian Mena: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
