The instant the White Sox returned Eloy Jimenez and Tim Anderson to their slumping lineup, they lost another core player to an injury.
Yoan Moncada is heading to the injured list with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, general manager Rick Hahn announced Wednesday. Moncada was removed from Tuesday night's game after making a play to record the final out of the top of the first inning with what the White Sox described as hamstring tightness. He's now going to be down for at least the next two weeks.
"I’m very disappointed," Moncada said Wednesday through team interpreter Billy Russo. "This was something unexpected. I don’t even know how that happened.
"I started feeling some discomfort during BP when I was taking ground balls. But it wasn’t a big deal. I thought that it would be fine for the game. Then, that first play, I felt it and that was what happened."
Moncada has been one of the few hitters in the White Sox lineup not going through an extended tough stretch since the All-Star break. The team has averaged fewer than three runs a game in their 4-14 start to the second half, and losing Moncada is not a good thing for a lineup looking to get back on track.
It's also not a good thing for Moncada to lose a two-week stretch of what's been a breakout season for him. Fans and teammates alike believe he should have joined the White Sox contingent at the All-Star Game in Cleveland. About to hit the IL, Moncada's got a .301/.358/.535 slash line and 20 home runs a year after striking out 217 times.
Now the White Sox have to work on turning around their slumping offense without their best hitter.
