With the 2021 season starting Thursday, the White Sox officially put three of their players on the injured list.
The team finalized its 26-man active roster for Opening Day roughly six hours prior to beginning their championship quest against the Los Angeles Angels, and in doing so placed outfielder Adam Engel and relief pitcher Jace Fry on the 10-day injured list, as well as adding outfielder Eloy Jiménez to the 60-day injured list.
Jiménez's injury is obviously the most impactful, the White Sox starting left fielder and Silver Slugger in the middle of their lineup rupturing his pectoral tendon in the final full week of spring training. He had surgery Tuesday, general manager Rick Hahn informed, and is expected to miss the next five to six months as he recovers. It's possible he could miss the entirety of the 2021 season, but the White Sox aren't ready to make that determination quite yet and likely won't be for several months.
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With Jiménez on the shelf, it's important the White Sox get Engel back as soon as he's ready to return. The team's fourth outfielder is on the mend from a hamstring strain and figures to play a large part in filling in for Jiménez once healthy. Engel is expected back at some point in the middle of April.
Fry is recovering from a microdiscectomy in his back, with Hahn announcing at the beginning of spring training that the left-handed bullpen arm wouldn't be expected back until the beginning of May. The team's loaded relief corps can certainly weather his absence, though his return will only strengthen a unit that could be the league's best.
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