UNDATED (AP) — Chicago White Sox slugger Eloy Jiménez is expected to be sidelined for five to six months because of a ruptured left pectoral tendon that requires surgery.
Jiménez was hurt trying to make a play in the outfield during an exhibition game Tuesday and the injury has put his season in jeopardy. The 24-year-old Jiménez batted .296 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs in 55 games during the pandemic-shortened season.
In other MLB news:
— A person familiar with the injury says Rays reliever Nick Anderson has a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow and likely will be sidelined beyond the All-Star break. Anderson went 2-1 with a 0.55 ERA and six saves in 19 outings during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before appearing in 10 of the team’s 20 postseason games. He is not expected to need surgery.
— Padres manager Jayce Tingler says right-hander Yu Darvish will be his opening day starter against the Diamondbacks. Darvish finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting for 2020 after going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA. Left-hander Blake Snell is scheduled to follow Darvish in the rotation.
— Pitcher Gio Gonzalez says he has retired after 13 major league seasons. The 35-year-old left-hander had signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins and made one exhibition appearance. He has a career record of 131-101 with a 3.70 ERA in 13 seasons for four teams. He was a two-time All-Star, with Oakland in 2011 and Washington in 2012.
—Max Fried (freed) will make his first opening day start for the Atlanta Braves, getting the nod in the wake of two stellar seasons. Fried went 7-0 with a 2.25 ERA last season, finishing fifth in the NL Cy Young Award balloting.
— Jimmy Nelson has earned a job with the World Series champion Dodgers after missing last season due to a back injury. The former Brewer allowed an unearned run over seven innings in four spring training appearances, giving up four hits and holding batters to a .160 average.
— Right-hander Tommy Hunter was released from a minor league contract by the Mets after going 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in five spring training appearances. Hunter agreed last month to a contract that would have called for a $2.25 million salary in the major leagues had he been added to the 40-man roster.
— Bobby Brown, who won five World Series as an infielder with the New York Yankees and later became a cardiologist and president of the American League, has died at 96. Brown played with the Yankees from 1947-54 and won five championships in his eight-season career. Overall, he batted .279 with 22 home runs and 237 RBIs. Brown was president of the American League from 1984-94.
