White Sox slugger Jimenez begins rehab assignment

The Chicago White Sox could be getting star slugger Eloy Jimenez back ahead of schedule.

The White Sox are sending Jimenez on a rehab assignment beginning with High-A Winston-Salem on Friday, the team announced.

The 24-year-old suffered a ruptured left pectoral tendon that required surgery in late March, and he was expected to miss five-to-six months as a result. If Jimenez has a successful rehab assignment and can rejoin Chicago after the All-Star break, his recovery will have taken less than four months.

"They have not given me a timeline, but I think I can be there at the end of this month," Jimenez said Thursday, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

Despite missing Jimenez's integral bat in the lineup, the White Sox find themselves in first place in the AL Central. They have a relatively commanding 7 1/2-game lead over the Cleveland Indians and a plus-99 run differential - the only positive run differential in the division.

Jimenez claimed his first Silver Slugger last year in his second major-league season. He hit .296/.332/.559 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs over 55 games during the pandemic-shortened campaign.

The White Sox have relied on several different outfielders in his stead, including Adam Eaton, who was recently designated for assignment. Rookie Andrew Vaughn has featured most often in the outfield for Chicago after being converted from first base in the wake of Jimenez's injury. The White Sox have used nine other outfielders in addition to Eaton and Vaughn, as Luis Robert is also sidelined with a torn hip flexor.