White Sox top prospect Jimenez after being cut: 'I belong' in the bigs

The Chicago White Sox optioned outfielder Eloy Jimenez, their top prospect (and No. 4 overall, according to MLB Pipeline), to Double-A on Wednesday. The move likely didn't catch many by surprise, despite the 21-year-old's head-turning performance this spring.

While a knee issue limited him to just nine Cactus League plate appearances, Jimenez made the most of that limited time in big-league camp, slashing a ridiculous .571/.667/1.714 with a pair of homers, a triple, and three runs scored.

Should that have been enough to sway the White Sox toward bringing him north on Opening Day? He certainly thinks so.

"I belong here (in the majors), I know that," Jimenez told reporters Wednesday, according to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. "When I'm going to be here, that's up to the team. They have to make a decision and … the only thing that I can control is just to play hard and be on the field."

Jimenez, who was acquired from the crosstown Cubs for Jose Quintana last July, certainly has the numbers to back up his confidence. Before this year's spring performance, he crafted a brilliant 2017 minor-league season, hitting .312/.379/.568 with 19 homers, 22 doubles, and 65 RBIs in 89 games across two levels. Though he spent most of 2017 at Single-A, he did put up a .956 OPS in 73 Double-A plate appearances after the Sox promoted him late in the season.

Even though he was optioned, Jimenez managed to leave quite the impression on White Sox skipper Rick Renteria, who sounded as though he wants to see the young Dominican on his regular-season lineup card sooner rather than later.

"In terms of the impact, the skill, I remember going to camp one year with Ken Griffey Jr.," Renteria told MLB.com's Richard Justice. "If I had any youngster that in terms of how he impacted you so quickly - I don't want to get ahead of myself - but Eloy seems to be that type."