GLENDALE, Ariz. — White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez left the team’s Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks Monday with cramping in his right calf, the team announced, the latest in a series of physical setbacks affecting the starting lineup as spring training reaches its final full week.
Jimenez is day-to-day.
On Sunday, the Sox revealed that first baseman Andrew Vaughn had a sore low back. That night, third baseman Yoan Moncada crashed into left fielder Roel Santos trying to track a short pop fly and fell in a heap and exited Team Cuba’s loss to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic semifinals.
What momentarily looked to be potentially serious turned out to be a bruised rib. Moncada left the game, was checked for a concussion and wasn’t seriously hurt.
The Sox also said Monday that right-handed reliever Matt Foster has a forearm strain, although Foster was not expected to make the Opening Day roster.
Jimenez, Vaughn and Moncada are all key pieces in the everyday lineup. Jimenez, who hit a nubber in front of the plate and was thrown out at first by Arizona catcher Carson Kelly in his only at-bat, left after two innings, replaced by Adam Haseley in right field.
The Sox had a relatively clean spring training injury-wise before Vaughn was sidelined last week. Moncada strained an oblique on the last day of camp a year ago, kicking off an injury-plagued seasons for the entire team.
Manager Pedro Grifol was downplaying his corner infielders’ ailments before Monday’s game, as Opening Day draws nearer in 10 days.
“He’s good,” Grifol said of Moncada. “If he were here and it meant something, he would play today.”
Cuba teammate Luis Robert Jr. and Moncada are flying in from Miami Tuesday and will rejoin team Wednesday, Grifol said.
Vaughn ‘getting better’
Vaughn, meanwhile, took ground balls again Monday but continues to rest.
“He feels good. Everyday he’s getting better,” Grifol said. “We did the right thing just giving him a blow. He’s got plenty of at-bats [31]. We’ll get some more before we break and he’ll end up with 40, 40-something and that’s plenty. We play five days in a row when we start the season. He’ll get enough there, too.”
Ruiz shines at WBC
Right-hander Jose Ruiz returned to camp after posting 4 1⁄3 innings of scoreless relief for Venezuela, a body of work that included strikeouts of Tim Anderson and Mike Trout in high leverage moments.
Ruiz’ stuff has never been an issue, but his 12.5 percent walk rate was last season when he posted a 4.60 ERA.
“The WBC brought out the best in me,” he said through a translator.
“The experience was out of this world.”