Eloy Jiménez showing signs of improvement during rehab stay with Charlotte Knights
Eloy Jiménez may be on the cusp of regaining his swing and ending his slump. After a long injury layoff, Jimenez struggled against the Worcester Red Sox two weeks ago
The rehabbing White Sox outfielder then showed strong signs in the Charlotte Knights’ series against the Durham Bulls a week ago. He only went 4 of 19 at the plate but clobbered a pair of home runs.
In the first game of Charlotte’s current series against the Gwinnett Stripers, which began Monday but took Tuesday off, Jiménez continued his success with a 2-for-4 game, scoring a run and driving in another.
The Knights and Stripers are back at it Wednesday night at 7:05 in Georgia, and Jiménez has a chance to solidify his case to make it back up to the majors.
KNIGHTS-STRIPERS SERIES AT A GLANCE
The two teams played the first game of their six-game set Monday, with Gwinnett emerging victorious 6-3. Charlotte and Gwinnett last met at the beginning of May, when the Stripers won four of six against the Knights.
The Knights split their last series against the Durham Bulls while the Stripers went 2-4 against the Norfolk Tides.
Gwinnett (38-41) comes into Tuesday’s game No. 8 in the International League West standings.
▪ Gwinnett Player to Watch: SP Kyle Muller
The left-handed Muller has powered the Stripers’ rotation, starting 14 games and pitching to a 2.99 ERA. In his last start, the 24-year-old gave up just two runs across 5.1 innings.
Charlotte Knights Players to Watch
Mark Payton, OF
The 30-year-old Payton’s chances of being a premier prospect are likely gone, but he’s been one of the Knights’ most consistent hitters. The outfielder is batting .282 with a .842 OPS after a 2-5 performance in the series opener against Gwinnett.
He is second on the team with 11 home runs.
Carlos Pérez, C
Pérez is the lone player with more homers than Payton. The 25-year-old has 12 home runs in just 60 games to lead Charlotte. He is batting .282 with a .815 OPS.
Xavier Fernández - 1B
The Knights brought Fernández up from Birmingham at the beginning of June and the catcher/first baseman has taken time to adjust to the new level of competition.
He’s batting just .186 after hitting .311 in Double-A, but there are signs of life. Fernández hit his first home run against Durham on July 3.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
